My Happy Ending
by foldintothenight
Summary: After the unthinkable happens to a future Diva she does her best to hide it while going on with her life and makes her way into the WWE. Once she tells the world about her attack will things be the same for her? Will she have a happy ending? - John Cena/OC and PunkLee are the main couples. There will also be Cody/OC and Ted/Kaitlyn :)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Welcome to my first story here! It's been years since I wrote a fan fic, and when I did, it was on a forum. So bear with me here, I hope everyone likes it! Yes, I did get the title from an Avril Lavigne song, but trust me, it barely follows the entire song.**

**Disclaimer: I own Maryanne Williams, Alexander Williams, Chelsea Roberts, Marcus Williams, Daniel Richards, and Anthony Roberts. All other characters are based on actual WWE superstars and divas and own themselves.**

**So without any further ado, here is the first chapter!**

* * *

She knew that she shouldn't have done it. Looking back, it was the biggest mistake of her life. However, he step-father was enthusiastic and her mother was never very vocal about anything. It was enough to make the fourteen year-old future second generation star love the idea of spending the summer on the road with him. Maryanne, or Mary as she preferred to go by, may have been young, but she was tough. She and her brother had already began training, and it looked like she was going to be the more promising out of the two. She already knew the ins and outs of the business. Faces and heels, good guys and bad guys, heroes and villains. She was very intelligent for her age and it showed in the ring. She was a fast learner, and many said that she would be the future of the women's division of what was then known as the WWF.

Anthony Roberts wasn't ever that big of a star in his own right. He spent most of his career as a jobber and a complete joke. When he met his wife it was at a house show that she had taken her two children to. Mary was eight at the time and she was probably the most into his match out of everyone in the small venue. This caused Anthony, who had a ring corny ring name that no one cares to remember now, to go up to the small family and introduce himself. Needless to say, the single mother was impressed with his interaction with her children and jumped on it. Within the next year they were married and Mary found herself with a new sister. With Anthony on the road, and her mother working full time, nine year-old Mary found herself with the duties of raising her baby sister.

After a couple of weeks on the road, Vince McMahon agreed to allow Mary to join her step-father at ringside during what could be considered "safer" matches. This meant that she could only go out when Anthony faced faces or smaller guys, who in character, would never do anything to harm her. Sure, she was able to handle herself, but she still a teenage girl. The company could get sued if anything were to happen to her. As much as it made her pout, she understood the reasoning behind the conditions of her on screen time. She would get plenty of in ring time before the cameras and audience entered the buildings. A lot of the superstars were more than willing to work with her, showing her basic moves and some of their secrets of the ring along the way.

Earlier that year, Anthony faced a young talent, who showed a lot of promise. He took on Daniel Richards as his protege. This meant that he wasn't able to put all of his focus on Mary and Alex, but that didn't stop Mary from learning everything she needed to know. She went out of her way to approach the other superstars and most were more than happy to oblige. As the summer progressed, Mary and Daniel became close. She even joined him at ringside one night during RAW and left with him when Anthony came out for one of the matches that she wasn't allowed to stay for. Daniel was sweet, young, and completely naïve. At twenty-two, he was oblivious to most things around him. He didn't know how old Mary was, nor did he take the time to ask. She was mature for her age, but that was no reason to assume she was eighteen and old enough for him to pursue. But he didn't pursue her in a traditional sense. Daniel took what he wanted from Mary. Didn't ask any questions. Left when he was finished. The rest of that night was a blur for Mary. Her life would never be the same after this experience.

* * *

**Sorry for the lack of interaction and dialogue. This was more of a prologue/setting up chapter. I promise that there will be more known faces and interaction starting with the next chapter! Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So this is the second chapter of my first story here, and promised there is actual dialogue and known faces!**

* * *

That cool night in August of 1996 was now a distant memory for young Mary, but what happened five months later was a series of events that she would never forget...

"I can't believe you're taking his side!" Mary looked to her step-father in disbelief.

"You're a big girl, Mary. You should have known better than to act like that around a grown man." Anthony shot back at the teenager.

Mary panted as she looked over to her mother who just looked down and didn't say anything. She shook her head as tears filled her eyes. "You know what? Fine. I'll leave. I can have this baby and raise it on my own. No problem." She pushed passed her step-father and went up to her room to pack her things.

Alex appeared in her doorway with a sigh. "You know that mom is just afraid."

Mary bit her lip and looked back to the thirteen year-old with a shrug. "But I'm her daughter, Alex. The least she could do is stand up for me."

"Where will you go? It's not like anyone in mom's family would take in an unwed pregnant teenager, and..."

Mary held up her hand before he could finish. They both knew that after their father had passed away when they were much younger that they had little to no contact with anyone in his family. She didn't feel like this was the best thing to be springing on them. "The Royal Rumble is in San Antonio in a few days. I can take a Greyhound and be there by then. Someone there will help me. I know they will."

Alex nodded as he walked over to his big sister and wrapped his arms in a tight, comforting embrace. "Just keep in touch, okay? I'll do my best to explain to Chelsea, but no promises."

Mary sighed as her brother helped her finish packing. She couldn't carry much, but that wasn't what had her so worried. What had Mary most concerned was leaving her five year-old sister behind. She didn't know what that would do to the young girl, nor what that little girl's father would be filling her tiny head with after the way her had just treated her. She took a deep breath as she picked up her bus ticket and recounted the cash she had saved up to take on her trip. "Just take care of mom and Chelsea and keep training. Maybe we'll run into each other in the ring someday," she gave her brother a hopeful look before leaving the home they had known for five years.

…

An eerie feeling swept through Mary's bones as she entered the Alamodome. It was her first time there, but security recognized her and let her in without any problems. It was the first time, however, that she had been to an WWF event since that fateful night. Daniel had been released from his contract and banned from making any appearances in any WWF event after charges were pressed for what he had done to Mary. No one in the company had seen her since that night, and Anthony had kept his lips tight about the events that followed. The first person she saw was donned in gold and black with his face painted in a bizarre manner. Mary let out a sigh of relief as she walked up to him and squealed, "Goldie!" as she made her way to him.

Dustin Runnels, known as Goldust at the time, spun around at the familiar sound of an energetic little girl marking out for him and smiled. "But your step-dad isn't scheduled to be here tonight, Mar-" The look on his face faltered quickly when he got a look at the young girl's belly and the fact that she was carrying a little more luggage than what would be needed for just the single event. "Oh sweetheart..." he shook his head as he closed the gap between them and gave her hug.

Mary quickly explained what had happened only days prior to the man who had become like an uncle to her during her time traveling with the company the previous summer. She was happy that the first person she had run into was someone she had developed a relationship with and would be more than happy to lend her any sort of helping hand he could. She ran her hands through her brunette locks as he offered to take her suitcase for her and find someone who would be able to take care of her at least through the duration of her pregnancy.

Hours later the pay-per-view had begun and Mary was sitting in Vince McMahon's office with Stephanie pacing back and forth. Stephanie hadn't made her on-screen debut yet at the time, but only being a little over five years older than the younger girl, they had become friends over the years.

"She is only going to be fifteen in a couple of months, dad." The older girl attempted to reason with her father. "I can't help but feel like we are somewhat responsible for her."

Vince sighed, running his hand over her face. "With you still in school and Shane long since moved out, I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to your mother about having her move in with us." He looked up to the girls in front of him, "Anthony is gone after this. I'm releasing him from his contract. It's not like he was doing anything important for the company, anyway."

Mary's face lit up as she got up and walked over to the desk, hugging Vince. "Thank you so much, Mr. McMahon. I'll promise to try and not to be too much trouble. Though, I'm not sure what my third trimester and labor will be like."

Vince shook his head, "we should have discussed things with Daniel as soon as we knew you were even considering being his valet. It wasn't your job to go out of your way to tell him how old you are, but we should have made sure he knew you were a minor. Looking at things that way, Stephanie is right. We are responsible for you now. I guess that you'll be under our custody until your eighteen, seeing as how it sounds like your mother wouldn't fight for you. However, I would prefer you stay until you are ready to be on your own. Even if it's after you turn eighteen."

Mary couldn't help but giggle. "You do know that I'm going right back to training after this? I still plan on making a splash in the women's division."

Vince chuckled and nodded, "on your eighteenth birthday, I will personally sign you to a developmental contract."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I am writing this before getting any views on the first chapter, but I will kick myself if I don't get it out while it's in my mind. I think it's time to get into the actual story now, no? Just so everyone knows, I'm not going to go with actual matches for the most part. However, I will be picking certain feuds and events to stick with.**

* * *

September 12th, 2011 – Monday Night RAW

"Looks like we've got another gold digger, Cole," Jerry Lawler chuckled as he and his broadcast partner watched the now 29 year-old diva at ringside.

Mary grinned as she licked her lips. She twirled her hair around her finger with a lustful look in her eyes as she watched the intercontinental champion, Cody Rhodes, kick ass in a non-title match. She shot a quick glance over to the broadcast table and winked at "The King" as if she knew exactly what he had just said.

"You can't deny that she has good taste, King. All of the divas should be clamoring to be with a champion." Michael Cole, in his truest heel commentator fashion, always praising the traditionally disliked superstars.

Just as he got his opponent where he wanted him, Cody had noticed the slightly older woman at ringside admiring him and decided to let his arrogance show. He flashed her a cocky grin before hitting his opponent with the "Cross Rhodes" and pinning the other man for a three count. After the referee raised his hand, he exited the ring and walked over to Mary, his grin only growing brighter as she linked her arm with his and walked up the ramp with him. They continued this until they were backstage and completely clear of all cameras.

Mary then broke away from her long time friend and began giggling as she high-fived him. "Are you sure that you're ready for your first on-screen romance, Coddles?"

_Flashback:_

_It was the summer of '97, she was fifteen and he was just twelve. She had given birth to her son, Marcus, just two months before. She had already lost most of the weight, and was already starting to train once again. She was working out with Dustin when his father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, had walked up with Dustin's very impatient half-brother._

"_What's he doing with this fat girl? Is she even old enough to be wrestling?" Cody snarled at his father. Which earned him a punch in the arm from his half-brother._

_Mary just rolled her eyes at the younger, cute boy and smiled. "For your information, I just had a baby. Thank you very much."_

_Cody jumped back, blinking. He hadn't expected such a reaction, but it said a lot about what she would be like in the ring. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. But really... are you old enough?"_

_She shook her head with a smile, "no, but I started training when I was around your age. I always knew that this was what I wanted to do. So why wait?"_

Cody cupped the chin of his friend and took a deep breath. "I'm more concerned about why you were so quick to agree with this. It's not like we're actually dating, let alone actually attracted to each other or anything like that."

Mary just smiled as she turned her head to kiss his palm and grabbed his other hand, pulling him toward the locker room so he could shower off. "That's not entirely true, Cody. I've always found you attractive. In fact, I'd probably rate you as one of the five best looking guys currently in the company."

Cody sighed as they reached the door to the men's locker room. "Be that as it may, Maryanne, I know you. I know that you're not into me like that. What is this really about?"

Mary looked down for a moment. She knew that her friends only used her full name when they were being especially serious with her, and this situation really called for it. "He's married. It's about time I accept that I've lost my chance with him." She kept her voice low in case anyone may have been eavesdropping close by.

Cody closed his eyes for a moment before giving his friend a quick hug and retreated into the locker room. He wanted to continue the conversation, but he knew Mary well enough that it wouldn't make any bit of difference. She was in love, and Cody was one of the very few people who knew. Sometimes, he wondered if she really knew just how deep her feelings ran for this man.

…

September 13th, 2011 – Smackdown tapings

Mary sat in her dressing room with AJ and Kaitlyn, which is what Mary preferred to call them at times, despite knowing their real names. The "Chickbusters" were already showing signs of faltering by this time, but April and Celeste were still extremely close. The three young women were best friends and completely inseparable. There wasn't anything that they kept from one another. Well, or so the younger two girls believed. Mary had her secrets, but her keeping things from them wasn't because she loved the other two girls any less.

"I can't believe you're doing a line with Cody," April laughed at her friend.

"Hey, at least she's getting more screen time out of it." Celeste shrugged. It was one thing that none of the divas could deny. The women of the WWE were lucky if they got air time once a week, so many of them took whatever they could get.

Mary shrugged with a sigh. "I've been wanting to get back into the dating scene for a while now. Especially now that Marcus is fourteen. I figure what better way to start than to pretend to date a guy I've known and trusted for years."

"Shit, your kid is that old now?" Celeste blurted out without thinking, causing April to elbow her in the ribs.

Mary blinked in realization of her entire situation. She was only twenty-nine and she had a son who was a teenager. What happened to the time? What happened to her youth? Had she given up everything she could have in life to be a mother except for wrestling? "Y-yeah..." she bit her lip as her shoulders sunk.

Just then there was a knock at her door, she turned to face the door and called out. "It's open."

Cody walked in with a smile, but it quickly turned upside down when he saw the look on his friend's face. "Mare?" He looked over to April and Celeste questioningly.

"It's my fault," Celeste pouted. "I accidentally pointed out her and Marcus's ages."

Cody nodded in understanding. The two young divas were still rather new to the entire situation, whereas Cody had known the entire fourteen years, growing up with Mary's son. He took a deep breath and stepped toward his friend. "Hey..." he cupped her cheek with a comforting smile. "You are young and beautiful, Mary. I am truly honored to pretend to be your boyfriend. Someday you'll find a guy who you can confidently tell about Marcus and he will love you even more because of it."

Mary couldn't help but laugh at her friend. He always knew exactly what to say to her. Which was a trait that not many seemed to possess when it came to her. "I take it that it's time for our segment?"

Cody nodded as he held out his arm for her. He looked back to the other girls and smiled, "see you ladies later."

April and Celeste giggled and waved as Mary linked her arm with Cody's and allowed him to lead her out of the room and down the hall where the cameras were waiting for them.

Matt Stryker met them in hall way with a microphone. "Cody, Mary, if I may..."

The "couple" stopped, Cody rolling his eyes as Mary giggled.

Stryker continued, knowing that some of the superstars didn't particularly like to be stopped by interviewers. "What is exactly going on between the two of you?"

Mary just smiled as Cody tilted his head with a sly grin. "Time will tell my friend." He left it as simple as that as they continued down the hall, making their way to the gorilla position in preparation for his match.

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**Sorry things are a little short so far. I promise that as I get more into the story, chapters will get longer. I'm really getting into this story. I hope people will like it!**


	4. Chapter 4

September 20th, 2011 – Smackdown tapings

Mary made her way to the backstage area after her match against Kelly Kelly and was stopped by Josh Matthews before getting a chance to make her away to the locker room. She had shown a new side to herself for the first time in her six year career in the WWE. Her very first heel turn was solidified by her vicious attack against the current Divas Champion.

"Mary, I must say that was one hell of a great match." Josh nervously eyed her, trying to keep as much space as possible between them like as if he were interviewing Kane.

The twenty-nine year-old diva smiled, batting her eyelashes. "Thanks Josh."

"Now, what myself, along with the entire WWE universe wants to know is. As the former two time Women's Champion, do you have any intentions of going after the Divas Championship?"

Mary snorted as Cody walked up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist with a grin. She smiled, licking her lips as she placed her hands on his. "The pretty, butterfly belt?" She shook her head with a laugh, "I'd rather go after Ziggler." She turned her head just enough for her lips to meet Cody's in a very real looking kiss.

"The U.S. title?" Josh asked the Diva skeptically.

Mary nodded as she turn to face her interviewer once more. "I'd say intercontinental, but..." she reached behind herself, patting the championship belt around Cody's waist, causing his eyes to widen playfully. "That belt is right where it belongs."

Josh cleared his throat, tugging at his collar a bit uncomfortably. "Well, I'd have to say that you are on the short list of Divas who could successfully go for the other titles in the company. So I wish you the best of luck, and thank you for your time."

Mary and Cody both smirked as Josh and the camera men walked away. After they were cleared, Cody stepped away with a chuckle. "That was good, Mare."

"Told ya we didn't need to talk through that kiss. I've always been naturally good at that." She licked her lips with a grin as she continued to make her way toward the locker room, running into Barbie Blank, who was known in the ring as Kelly Kelly. "Hey Barbie, sorry about that. I didn't actually hurt you, did I?"

Barbie shook her head with a smile. "It's all good, girl. I may have a couple of bruises in the morning, but I know what I signed up for. Very convincing kiss, by the way." She winked before retreating into the locker room to shower off.

"And this is why I'm glad you haven't attempted a romantic line with any of the other guys," Cody shook his head, patting his lips a little in the memory of the kiss.

Mary looked down, frowning. "I'd manage to get myself into something that I couldn't get out of."

"Hey," Cody snapped back into his serious tone. "If any guy tried to get you to do something you weren't one hundred percent sure you wanted to do, I would personally hand his ass to him. I don't care how big the guy is."

"And we both know that Randy would pick up the pieces if you couldn't," Mary offered her friend a small smile. She bit her lip as she backed up toward the locker room door.

Cody nodded, "did you still want to hang out with everyone after the show? _He_ will be there." He nudged his friend playfully.

Mary felt her cheeks flush. They weren't any where near the home of the object of her affection, so she wouldn't have to deal with seeing him with his wife. She nodded with a smile as she opened the door and slipped inside.

…

Once at the bar, Mary looked around at the group she was joining, noticing straight away that she was the only girl amongst a group of male superstars. She shook her head, smirking as she walked over to the table with her Sprite and sat in the only empty chair, which happened to be next to Randy Orton. She smiled at the man, who happened to be her best friend, shaking her head once again. "Maybe I should have invited April and Celeste," she laughed.

"Aw, c'mon Mare," Randy chuckled. "Since when have you been intimidated by spending quality time with us boys?"

"Since it's hit the five year mark since I got any," she mumbled with a shrug. She coughed, looking up, knowing that Randy was the only one who heard that remark. "Hey," she raised her voice so that the rest of the men could hear her, "so long as none of your drunk asses try to make a move on me, you'll all get to keep your balls tonight."

Randy chuckled, loosely draping his arm around her shoulders. "That's our girl."

Mary just smiled. As much as she hated to admit, she had always been a bit of a tomboy, and she loved her nights out with the boys. _Her_ boys. Over the years, she had grown to count on many of her male coworkers. Many Divas came and went in her time with the company, but the one thing she could count on was the male Superstars. Some that she met as a teenager were still involved with the company in some fashion. This gave her a very good sense of stability in her life that her own family had declined to give her. She had managed to find a way to be friendly with so many guys, yet not come off as the least bit slutty in the process. "Yes, but you all love me, and you wouldn't have me any other way."

"Aye lass," a familiar Irish accent spoke up from across the table. "So I must ask," Stephen looked over to the brunette with a smirk, "what was up with that post match interview?"

Mary giggled as she sipped her Sprite, looking to the men surrounding her. "The kiss, the challenge to Ziggy, or the apparent crotch grab?" She rose her eyebrow with a smirk. After her blunt reply, she heard a choke from the other side of Randy. She glanced to the man on the other side of her best friend and smiled sweetly. "Oh hey John... didn't see you there. Beer go down the wrong hole, baby?" She asked the latter part of her address to John Cena in a sarcastic baby tone.

The rest of the table erupted in laughter for a moment before Stephen spoke up again. "Let's go with all three."

"Well, if I may," Cody spoke up before Mary got a chance to respond. "The intended target was the title, and she had impeccable aim."

Mary smirked, nodding. "And before anyone gets the wrong idea, Cody and I are strictly a storyline." She glanced over to John for a very brief moment longingly before shrugging. "I just happen to be that good of a kisser." She sighed, looking down for a moment. "The challenge was all me, though. I absolutely loathe the butterfly belt. Plus, I know that I could take a lot of the guys on the roster, so why not?"

Obviously impressed, the men at the table all raised their glasses and bottles to salute their favorite diva as she laughed. Randy Orton, Cody Runnels, John Cena, Ted DiBiase, Stephen Farrelly, and Matt Cardona (whom they always refereed to by his ring name, Zack Ryder) were by far the best friends a girl could ask for. When she was with them, she felt the most welcomed and at home she ever had in her entire life. Not all of them knew about her family situation, let alone her big secrets, but they each respected her right to choose to tell them when and if she chose to.

John spoke up again after a few minutes, looking toward Cody. "You almost seem disappointed that she didn't miss her mark," he smirked, raising an eyebrow. At that time, he wasn't so sure he believed that they were strictly kayfabe, and wanted to push them.

Cody held his hands up in surrender, a cocky grin on his face. "Have you looked at her lately? She's only gotten more beautiful with age."

John pointed to the ring on his left hand and shrugged, causing Mary to slump into Randy a bit.

Cody rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He obviously felt for Mary in that moment, but he knew that he couldn't show it. "Married or not, it doesn't hurt to look every once in a while."

John ignored the comment, not wanting to address how he felt about Mary in that aspect and changed the subject. "So Mary, I've been meaning to ask you, where is Marcus these days?"

Mary froze up at the question and bit her lip. Randy squeezed her shoulder, reminding her to remain calm. Of course one of the subjects that not every man at the table knew the whole story about had to came up when she was just starting to have fun. She quickly remembered that John had assumed that her son was only five or six, rather than his real age. So he would be in elementary, rather than high school. She smiled at her friend. "He's staying at casa de Gutierrez for now. I've got him enrolled in school in San Diego. I could have let him stay in Connecticut with Linda and Vince, but since I live in San Diego now myself, it only makes sense." He didn't have to know that the real reason Marcus was staying with Rey Mysterio's family. Which was that he was actually the best friend of Rey's son, Dominik. This being because the boys actually happened to be the same age.

John nodded, completely oblivious to the fact that he had missed something in her reaction. "I need to meet this little guy someday."

With that statement, Mary couldn't take anymore. She choked a bit on her drink and began coughing. "Excuse me," she said quickly as she got up and retreated for the ladies room.

Randy hung his head, letting out an exasperated sigh. There were a couple of questioning looks around the table as some of the guys began to ask what happened.

John blinked, "was it something I said? Should I go talk to her?"

Cody shook his head as Randy started to get up. "No, it's okay. I've got it." Cody got up and made his way back to the ladies rest room. "Coming in!" he announced as he opened the door, covering his eyes.

Mary sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, clinging to the sink. "It's alright, Cody. I'm the only one in here," she stated softly.

Cody made his way to his friend, immediately wrapping his arms around her. "You had to know this would come up eventually. It's not like you can hide Marcus from the world forever. Or well, at least not from the rest of your friends."

Mary nodded as tears began flowing down her cheeks. She buried her face in her friend's chest as she sobbed softly for a few minutes. Once she calmed a bit, she pulled away a bit and looked up, two sets of blue eyes meeting. "It's not like I don't trust him. I've actually considered coming out with the whole story to the world."

"Possibly in the futute, but start small," Cody nodded. "Maybe just with John at first. I think that after everything, he deserves to know the truth."

Mary took a deep breath, wiping away the tears from her face a bit before taking his hand and pulling him towards the door. "Let's get out of here."

Back at the table, half of the remaining men were still completely confused at what had just happened five minutes prior. John was looking the most concerned for their mutual female friend. He didn't understand what had upset her so much, but he found himself desperately wanting to know.

"I don't get it, Randy," he turned to his best friend, having figured out that the other man knew exactly what was going on. "What could be so bad?"

"You know that it shouldn't be us telling you anything. She needs to tell you on her own," Ted had spoken up for the first time the entire night.

Zack tilted his head at the normally quiet man sitting next to him. "So you're that close to her, too? Is this some sort of Legacy thing?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Cody returned to the table with a still visibly upset Mary by his side, dropping some cash on the table to cover his beers as well as his and Mary's portion of the tip.

Ted got up, following suit with the intention to follow Cody and Mary. "Good night, guys. I think she needs us right now," he looked over to Randy.

Randy nodded, adding to the tip. He stood up and sighed, looking over to his best male friend. "When you get to the hotel, look up a former wrestler named Anthony Roberts. Maybe that will answer some of your questions." He patted John's shoulder and saluted Stephen and Zack before making his exit as well.

* * *

**So is anyone else amused by the thought of making Josh Matthews squirm? I giggled while writing it. Also, does everyone like sweet Cody? He won't always be like that, but I can see him being protective of someone he cares about. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

An hour later John was sitting on the bed in his hotel room, joined by Zack and Stephen. He was browsing some websites containing information on Anthony Roberts. There was no mention of Mary on any of them. However, it did mention on his Wikipedia page that he had disowned his step-daughter at a young age. There wasn't a name given for said step-daughter, but all three men assumed that it could have been Mary. They also noticed that it was stated that he was released from his WWF contract shortly after doing so. This sparked the curiosity of the three men, especially seeing as how Randy told them to look him up specifically.

"I'd check YouTube," Zack, the self-professed "Internet Champion", suggested with a shrug.

John nodded, making his way over to the video hosting website. He entered the man's name and found a few of his matches. They skimmed through a few of them, noting that he wasn't exactly the most talented in the ring, until they finally came across a match from the summer of 1996 when there was a small, brunette girl joining him at ringside.

Stephen pointed to the girl, eyes wide. "Is that..."

John took a closer look, swallowing hard. He would recognize those eyes anywhere. He closed his eyes for a moment as he handed to laptop to Zack. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together for the thirty-four year-old current WWE Champion. "Yeah... that's Mary." He bit his lip as he slowly stood up, rubbing his face.

Zack looked to the right side of the screen, seeing something that sparked his interest in the related videos. "Didn't Anthony's Wiki say that he took on Daniel Richards as a protege that year?"

John nodded as the wheels continued to spin in is mind. "She was only fourteen at the time. What reason could he possibly have to disown her?"

Zack clicked on the link to the video entitled "Daniel Richards final WWF match" and began to watch. "She was valet for Daniel as well, John." Zack stated solemnly as he watched through the entire match, which Daniel had won.

John walked back over to his friends, watching the closing moments of the video with them. They watched as Mary excitedly congratulated the older man. She looked adorable, very childish in her actions for the most part. The one thing that couldn't go unnoticed was that she was slightly more developed than most girls her age might be, the make-up not helping at all. The men who now considered Mary a close friend watched on in horror as Daniel looked her body up and down with hunger in his eyes. John went pale as he slowly backed away. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said in disgust before darting into the bathroom, slamming the door behind himself.

…

Mary sat on her hotel room bed with Cody, Randy, and Ted surrounding her. She had brought her knees up, hugging them to her chest as she fought off fresh tears. She had known Randy the least amount of time of the three, but she managed to grow the closest to him out of the three, and the other two knew why.

_Flashback:_

_March 24, 2001 – Mary's nineteenth birthday._

_Mary had been part of the OVW for a year that day. As promised, Vince McMahon himself signed her to a developmental contract to the girl whom had been under his legal guardianship for the three years prior to that. She knew it wouldn't be long before she was called up to the main roster, but she was patient. She knew that not many saw success in the "big leagues" until at least their late twenties. Knowing this, she didn't mind sticking back and helping out the other young, hopeful women in their conquest to possibly taste the spotlight in their own future in the process._

_After a successful night of matches, the hopeful wrestlers gathered at a nearby club to celebrate the female powerhouse's birthday. Mary had the time of her life, dancing with both men and women throughout the night. Having not been in a relationship in four years, Mary chose to keep her options open. Not singling out either gender, in fear of missing something promising. Throughout the night, her eye kept catching one young man in particular. She wasn't quite sure that she knew him, outside from knowing that he had recently joined the OVW, and was showing a ton of potential. As she saw him make is way toward her, she smiled. She definitely wouldn't mind getting to know this man a little better._

"_So you're the birthday girl?" His deep voice penetrated her ear as she felt his hot breath against her cheek._

_A chill ran down his spine as her eyes fluttered close. She was definitely turned on by this man, there was no way in denying that. She nodded with a smile. "I'm Mary Williams."_

"_Randy Orton," he grinned, shaking her hand. "Would you like to find somewhere a little less loud to talk?"_

"_I was thinking somewhere a little more private..." she licked her lips, giving him a lustful look._

"_Even better," he took her hand and lead her out of the club. Rather than possibly finding their way to a car and back to where they were staying, Randy opted to take her around the side of the building where no prying eyes could see them._

_Before she could get a chance to say anything, his lips smashed against hers, his tongue almost immediately begging for entrance into her mouth. She shuttered a bit, not ever actually kissing a boy like that before, but she wanted to. By God, did she want to. Her lips parted, granting him access to her mouth as their tongues collided. He snaked one arm around her waist as the other hand began slowly making it's way up her side. As he cupped the underside of her breast he stopped, pulling away from the kiss just enough to chuckle. At the same time, he felt her tense up, causing him to completely pull away from her and look her in her piercing blue eyes._

"_I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He frowned a little, biting his lip. "I know that I said talk, but..."_

_She quickly shook her head. "No, it's me. I want to. Trust me, I **really** want to. It's just that I've never... Well, not even that."_

_A cocky grin came across Randy's lips as he tightened the grip he had had on her waist, though not enough to hurt her. "So... That was your first kiss?"_

_She cleared her throat, feeling her body heat up even more. "First kiss like that. I did have one boyfriend a few years ago. All very innocent kisses that I can actually count on one hand."_

_Randy nodded, leaning in to press a simple, chaste kiss to her lips. "Like that?"_

_Mary nodded breathlessly._

_Randy swallowed, looking her over. He could feel her body screaming for him, but the look in her eyes was telling a completely different story. He wanted her, but he could never bring himself to rush or force a girl. "Then we can take things slow. That is... if you'd like to continue this on a more long term basis."_

_Mary raised an eyebrow with a smirk, "my, my Randy Orton, are you asking me out?"_

_Randy chuckled, pressing another kiss to her lips. "Mary Williams, will you be my girlfriend?"_

Ted reached over from his spot on the bed, rubbing Mary's ankle. "He does care, you know."

She looked up, biting her lip. "What did he say? And don't stop." She smirked playfully for a moment as she extended her legs for him.

Ted chuckled as he lifted the girl's foot and settled it onto his lap, rubbing it for her. "It wasn't so much what he said."

Randy nodded in agreement. "His body language spoke volumes, Mare. It's almost like as if he never got over you."

The tears that had been threatening to show themselves finally began spilling out at Randy's words. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. After everything she had done to protect herself from possibly getting hurt by her past, something from her present life just had to come up to crush her because of it.

Cody, always incredibly protective of the girl they all cared deeply about, moved to her side, wrapping his arms around her. He sighed, soothing her hair. It was times like these that he was almost glad he didn't have a girlfriend, himself. No girl would understand the close relationship that he shared with Mary. That is, unless he found a woman like Samantha Orton. Randy was completely upfront with his wife about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, and his wife understood.

Randy bit his lip, moving to Mary's other side as Ted continued working on her feet to do his best to aide in comforting her. "You never did tell us what ended up happening between you two. We thought that things were about to get serious between you and John, but the next thing we knew he was engaged to Liz."

Mary sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I pushed him away. Things got to the point where the next logical step would be to tell him about Marcus, but I chickened out and... and..." She laughed at herself, shaking her head.

Cody tilted his head, "Maryanne, what did you do?"

She blinked, swallowing visibly, and turning to Randy and took a deep breath. "I told him that he should go ahead and go for Liz because I wasn't over you."

Randy sighed, wiping his face. "That explains his reaction to me saying that you and I love each other, but never like that."

Mary laughed softly, sitting up a little more and stretching out. "I'm sorry, Randy. It's not like I have a whole little black book of exes, and he knows that. I had limited choices."

…

After John spent nearly a half hour in the bathroom, Stephen knocked on the door. "Hey fella, Zack and I are going to head out. Are ye gonna be alright?"

John opened the door, to say he looked like hell in that moment would be a compliment. "Yeah, go ahead. I'm going to need time alone to process what we just found out."

The two men nodded, giving their friend a quick hug before exiting John's hotel room and heading for their own.

John stripped down to his boxers and practically threw himself onto the bed. "What did he do to you, Mary?" He asked to the empty room before drifting off into a deep sleep.

…

"Stay with me," Mary pouted, looking to each of the men surrounding her after Randy forgave her for using him as a scapegoat for her insecurities in relationships.

"All of us?" Ted chuckled, finally finished working on her feet.

She nodded, sticking out her bottom lip as far as she could, batting her eyelashes for added effect.

All three men sighed in exasperation. None of them could say 'no' to her when she was like this. Randy got up from the bed and retreated to the nearby couch. There was one line the married man couldn't cross, and he was greatly respected for it.

Cody pulled back the covers, crawling in as Ted made his way to the side of Mary that had just been vacated by Randy. The two young men glared at each other as they snuggled in with their friend in the king sized bed.

Randy laughed softly as he turned off the lights. "You're going to be the death of us one of these days, woman."

"You love me, remember that," Mary giggled, enjoying the embrace of the two strong men on either side of her. She closed her eyes as she began to think of just how she was going to tell John the truth that he so rightfully deserved.

Cody and Ted each kissed her forehead, almost in unison, causing Mary to giggle. The things that these men would do for her never ceased to amaze her. Like most straight men, Cody and Ted wouldn't normally choose to sleep in the same bed, no matter how big it was. This showed her just how much they each cared for her, which meant the world to her. After everything she had been through, a little stability from friends was exactly what she needed. The only thing that could make things better for Mary would be for her to let her guard down and let someone into her heart on a level that she had yet to in her entire life. Sure, she had her son, and the three men in the room with her, but what she really needed in her life was true love and romance. Something that she could have had with John Cena just a few years before, but in fear of being rejected, due to the age of her son, she found an excuse to end it with him before it could really even get started. This was something that she had regretted ever since.


	6. Chapter 6

October 31st, 2011 – Monday Night RAW

April Mendez never really had any romantic interaction in her near 25 years of life. All of the boys never really looked at her as someone they could possibly date. This could have been because she did things that were considered to be more "male oriented", rather than all of the things the other girls were doing. She did date Jay Lethal, the man who trained her in wrestling, but it wasn't anything serious. So as a WWE Diva, many things were new to her. The Divas were known for using sex as a weapon, but this was just something that AJ had no real knowledge of. However, she just wasn't about to go around admitting that to just anyone.

Just a week earlier, she was approached by the creative team to possibly start a romantic line with fellow newcomer to WWE, Bryan Danielson, who was going under the ring name Daniel Bryan, after his previous storyline left the company. Despite not actually interacting very much in their time on NXT she figured it may be a good opportunity. Something that her best friend, Celeste, had said only weeks prior had gotten AJ thinking. One of the reasons that their friend Mary had taken the romantic line with Cody Rhodes was for more air time. Going in for this line with Bryan would definitely do the same for AJ. So she figured it wouldn't hurt to try it out. She would discuss the possibilities with the superstar and see where it could possibly go.

Halloween was a special night for the WWE. It happened to land on a Monday that year, and the company decided to put on one of their "super shows" in which competitors from the SmackDown brand could come onto RAW for more exposure. That night, they held the annual Halloween costume Divas battle royal for a number one contender spot for the Divas Championship. That night, AJ dressed up as Kitana from the Mortal Kombat series. It was her first Halloween battle royal, and where she knew she wasn't going to win, but she had hoped to make an impression in other ways. Like most female video game characters, Kitana was portrayed in a very sexy manner, but AJ found a version best suiting her, along with knowing that she had to keep things "PG" for the show's current format.

After the match, AJ went back to the locker room and showered off before changing back into her normal clothing for the rest of the night. As she made her way down to the dressing room area she was approached by a somewhat large man, in comparison to herself anyway, which caught her off-guard. She jumped back, gasping a little.

"Sorry, sorry!" The face of the company quickly apologized for scaring the petite Diva, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's April, right?"

AJ slowly looked up to meet the eyes of John Cena and smiled. "John Cena? Excuse me while I fan-girl a moment."

John chuckled at the adorableness of the young Diva, letting her soak in the fact that it was in fact one of her idols talking to her. "Take your time, darling."

She felt her cheeks flush, feeling silly for acting in such a manner around one of her coworkers. She hadn't been with the company for very long yet. So she did tend to get a little starstruck every now and again amongst some of the bigger names. "Sorry," she giggled. "And yes, I'm April. You can call me AJ, though. It's actually a nickname."

He nodded with a small grin, but his demeanor quickly changed. "You're friends with Mary Williams, right?"

AJ's eyes widened, she knew there had to be a reason why she had been approached by one of the biggest superstars in the company. She saw that she was at her dressing room, so she quickly opened the door and grabbed his wrist, pulling him inside. "It's you?"

"Me what? I just wanted to ask if you've heard from her in the past few weeks. I can't help but feel like she's avoiding me." He swallowed hard as he closed the door behind himself. It had been six weeks since he had heard any word on the girl he once thought could be the one for him, and he was genuinely concerned about how things were left the last time he saw her.

"The one who's got her so twisted," AJ bit her lip. "Celeste and I knew it had to involve a guy."

"Celeste?" John tilted his head in curiosity.

"Kaitlyn, sorry. Yeah, I know it tends to get a little confusing. I may love this business, but I never quite understood the need for everyone to go by fake names," AJ took a deep breath.

"I know. I'm one of the lucky few," John chuckled softly. "But you didn't answer my question, hon."

AJ looked down, playing with her hair. She was looking for the right words to explain the situation to him without really giving much away.

"It's a simple question, AJ. I just want to know if she's alright. I found some videos on YouTube from when she was younger..." John stopped mid-sentence when he saw the young Diva's head snap to attention. "So you do know about that," it was more of a statement than a question. He already had his answer by her reaction.

"John, you know I can't tell you anything," she pleaded with him. "But as far as I know, she is okay. Celeste and I have barely spoken to her in weeks. I actually had to ask Cody myself last week at SmackDown, and he assured me that she's fine. And I'm sure that she's not around tonight because she made it clear that she has no interest in the Divas Championship."

"That may be my fault. At least partly," the former champion admitted with a sigh. "A group of us went out to a bar one night and I mentioned wanting to meet her son, and..."

April held up her hand with a sigh, causing him to stop. "Look, I can tell that you care about her. In which case I hope that you can just be patient and let her come to you on her own."

John gave her a bit of a puppy dog pout, wanting a little more.

The tiny girl sighed, shaking her head with a smile. "I can give you random updates on her. Nothing too in depth."

Finally satisfied, John took her hand, shaking it as he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you. This really means a lot to me. I've been getting shut out by Randy regarding her."

AJ pouted, the thought of Celeste shutting her out over anything killed her inside, so she really felt for John in that moment. "Just give her time, John. She's been through a lot."

The older man smiled, nodding as he opened the door once more and started to walk out of the room. As he was about to leave the doorway turned his head with a small smirk, "you say I've got her twisted, huh?"

AJ pursed her lips, kicking him in the butt playfully. "You're married, mister. Just go or I'll reconsider keeping you updated on her."

"Going!" he laughed as he retreated down the hall.

AJ shook her head as she stood in her doorway, considering to stick around and play a video game, but decided against it. She left her dressing room, going in the opposite direction that John had just gone, and went for a walk. She passed by a number of crew members and superstars in the halls of the arena, politely greeting each one with a smile on her face until she ran into Cody. She stopped, blocking his path and tossed her hair aside. "John Cena?"

"No, I'm Cody Rhodes. You know that," the Intercontinental Champion scoffed in pure arrogance.

AJ rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "No, I just had a little chat with John... about Mary."

Cody's face fell, his body tensing up. He grabbed AJ's wrist, pulling her aside. "What did you tell him?"

"Chill, Cody," she took a deep breath. "I just told him that she's okay. I don't get it. He's married."

Cody looked around, making sure that no one was around before pulling her into the nearest empty room. "Yes, I know that he's married. That's part of the reason she's been so scarce lately. They should be together."

AJ sighed heavily, frowning as she ran her fingers through her dark hair. "She ended it because of Marcus, didn't she?"

Cody nodded, biting his lip. "We all know that he is a very understanding guy, and he most likely would be okay with everything."

"That still didn't stop her from being scared. That kid is everything to her. That's why she's never fully given herself to anyone, isn't it?" AJ looked down, hoping to avoid having the topic getting turned onto her.

"Well she did come close with Randy... things just didn't work out in that way for them," Cody shrugged with a small laugh.

"By what she's told Celeste and I, it was all pure heat between her and Randy. Basically, there isn't anything they didn't do together," AJ felt her cheeks burning at the subject, not having any experience with it personally.

"Yeah, apparently their sex life was insane. Not that it's any of our business." Cody paused, blinking as he studied the expression of the small Diva in front of him. "AJ... is something wrong?"

"Yeah, sorry," she started, biting her lip. "It's just that I'm about to start a storyline with Daniel Bryan, and I just... I don't know..."

"Are you really that inexperienced? I just thought... back on NXT there were all of those incredibly cheesy storylines... AJ, was I really your first kiss?" Cody looked on in pure shock.

AJ slowly looked up, a look of complete innocence on her face. "Yeah... So far every time I've kissed a guy, it's been on screen."

"You could have fooled me," he smiled, hoping to boost her spirits. "You knocked me off my feet in more ways than one."

With that confession, AJ blushed the deepest shade of red she had in her entire life. "Thanks, Cody. That really means a lot to me. I guess that I'm just nervous. I mean... I barely know Bryan. You and Mary have been extremely close for half of your lives."

Cody nodded, pulling her close to him and wrapping his arms around her for a comforting hug. "How about this? I'll be your romantic coach, so to speak. You can come to me with your scripts, and I'll run through them with you to help you with how to portray yourself around him on camera."

AJ grabbed onto his shirt, inhaling his scent. "This almost makes me wish they didn't have me try to tell Primo that I was into him that same night. I probably would have tried asking you out."

Cody chewed on the inside of his bottom lip as he watched the girl slowly raise her head to look at him. Before he got a chance to respond their lips met. The kiss was sweet and innocent. Unfortunately, it lacked the spark that their first kiss had ignited a year earlier. As they pulled away, they both heaved a sigh. Looking into one another's eyes, they knew that the other hadn't felt anything. "At the time, I would have went for it," he finally whispered after a few moments of silence.

AJ nodded, choosing to not pull away from his embrace. She knew that their moment had long since passed, and she accepted that. "I'll take that coaching offer, though."

Cody smiled, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. He wondered if he was starting to feel the same for this girl as he did for Mary. That thought made him wonder if that meant he was going soft. Shaking it off, he decided that he didn't care. If he was only like this for a couple of girls, then he would be okay with it. As long as he could stay the same way he did around the rest of the world, he would be happy. "We can start tomorrow at the SmackDown tapings."

After thinking for a few moments, the twenty-four year old Diva tilted her head. "Cody... you're usually a jerk to most everyone. Even backstage."

"Well, not completely. Though, I admit that I do have a bit of an arrogance problem. But yeah, I know that this is a rare side of me. I usually only show it around Mary. She's special, though." Cody shrugged it off, his cocky smirk returning.

"Does that mean I'm special, too?" AJ raised an eyebrow, not letting him get away with it.

Cody sighed, shaking his head. "You are. You may not be as much of an Achilles's heel for me as she is, but I am finding myself having a soft spot for you. Don't let it get out though!" he laughed, playfully tweaking her nose.

AJ shook him off with a giggle. "I won't. Do you really think that anyone would believe me?"

"Outside of Mary, Randy, and Ted? Probably no one," he laughed. "Well, except for John, Stephen, and Zack now. They've all seen me with her."

"You mean that night at a bar a few weeks ago?" AJ asked, biting her lip.

"He told you?" Cody tilted his head skeptically.

AJ shrugged, "only mentioned that he had asked about Marcus and he noticed that it had upset her."

Cody sighed, nodding. "She can't keep it from him forever. Especially after that night. We saw unresolved feelings from both of them that night."

AJ pouted, looking down for a moment. "I don't see this ending well..."

Cody bit his lip, nodding in agreement. "Neither do I."

* * *

**Don't kill me! Yes, I just did a whole chapter without the main character. At least I mentioned her? Don't worry, though. She'll be back in the next one. I'll also finally be bringing in Punk. You're welcome. /Damien Sandow impersonation**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'd like to thank everyone for all of the follows and reviews. It really means a lot to me. I do tend to enjoy torturing my characters, but I promise that I won't drag anything _too_ much.**

**Also, to therealchamps: she will tell him very soon. I considered dragging that out longer, but I just couldn't do that to my poor character. It's already written, so try not to scream at me too much in the mean time? LOL This chapter starts the sequence of events leading up to her finally telling him.**

* * *

November 15th, 2011 – Smackdown tapings.

Mary made her way to ringside during a mid-card match between Heath Slater and newcomer "Billy Alexander". She took a seat next to Josh Matthews, putting on a headset and shook the hands of the three men on commentary. She sat back and smiled as her presence was announced.

"Well, well look at who we have here," Booker T started with a chuckle.

"Ladies and gentleman of the WWE Universe, joining us at ringside, the former two time Women's Champion, Mary Williams," Michael Cole continued the introduction.

"And may I ask why are you here, exactly?" The ever clueless Josh Matthews looked to the woman beside him.

Mary just smirked, rolling her eyes. "Take a good look at the new guy, Josh."

After a few minutes of silence from commentary, Josh finally spoke up again. "Same hair, same eyes... definitely a lot of the same moves... By chance, are you somehow related to this guy?"

"Yes," Mary smiled proudly, "he's my little brother." She cleared her throat as she saw the match begin to dip into Heath's favor. Which was something she just simply could not have. "Excuse me boys," Mary got up to "get a closer look" at the match. She smiled at Heath Slater in a flirtatious manner in hopes of distracting her brother's competitor. She continued in her actions as Heath noticed and walked over to the ropes, starting to show off for her. She stepped away with a smirk as Billy took advantage and grabbed Heath from behind for a roll-up and a quick win. She laughed as her music began to play, seeing as how Billy didn't have his own yet, and entered the ring to congratulate him. They left the ring, still laughing and walked up the ramp. She raised her brother's hand one more time at the top before slipping backstage. They were soon met by Cody, who wasn't looking all too happy.

"What the hell was that?" the Intercontinental Champion snapped at his girlfriend and grabbed her hand, roughly pulling her away from her brother.

"Hey, she was just helping me! Chill out man," Billy defended his sister.

"Shut up, no one cares what you think, new guy. Do you know who I am?" Cody continued to mistreat Mary, yanking her back and forth a bit and obviously causing her pain and discomfort.

"Cody, stop!" Mary pleaded, a very scared look in her eyes. "I do the same for you all of the time. C'mon, baby. You know I only have eyes for you," she desperately pulled herself out of her boyfriend's hold and grabbed his face, kissing him passionately.

Once he broke away from the kiss his patented devious smirk returned to his face. "Okay... Well maybe I'll allow it. But just this one time."

Mary sighed as she nodded, slipping an arm around Cody's waist and leading him down the hall with Billy close behind, ending the segment.

After reaching the locker rooms, they stopped, the "couple" turning to look at the young man beside them. Mary hugged her brother. "Damn Alex, when I said maybe we'd meet in the ring someday, I didn't mean a lifetime later."

"Sorry, sorry. We both know that I'm not nearly as good as you are, sis. I needed just a few more years in the minors before being called up," The younger Williams sibling chuckled as he returned the hug for a moment before turning to shake Cody's hand. "I hear that you've been taking care of my sister."

Cody smiled, taking the slightly older man's hand and nodded. "Well, I've been one of a few. Your sister is truly a great woman."

Just then they heard the sound of two men applauding as they walked up to the small group. Mary looked up to see Randy and Ted joining them. She smiled, "speaking of the devils. Guys, this is my brother, Alex. He finally made his way here."

Each of the men shook Alex's hand with a nod. "Great job out there," Randy smiled at the newcomer. "Maybe it won't be so long until you face me out there if you keep that up."

This caused Cody and Ted to roll their eyes as Mary giggled. "And these are only half of the guys I normally surround myself with. I just... haven't spoke to the other half lately." She bit her lip, looking down.

Alex tilted his head as he looked to the other men in question. "Mare, you've got to quit doing these things to yourself. It's not healthy."

She sighed, "I know, bubba. Just... go shower off. We'll talk after the show." She shook her head as she pushed her way past the four men and ran off down the hall.

"I'm sorry guys," Alex sighed. "You've probably already been dealing with a lot from her."

"You're heart is in the right place, man," Cody placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. "She just..."

"She's been extra fragile lately. I'm sure she'll fill you in eventually," Randy finished before turning and heading into the direction that Mary had just went in, Cody and Ted close behind him.

Mary had managed to keep herself away from her friends and brother for the rest of the night, eventually leaving with AJ and Celeste before the guys even knew the girls had left. She hated relying on these men so much because it had gotten to the point where she began to feel weaker because of it. As much as she loved her boys and adored the caring nature of her relationships with them, she was still an independent woman. She longed for the feeling of standing on her own two feet. Once the three women were securely in Mary's hotel room, they all sat on the bed. Mary sighed, having a feeling that she knew what was coming.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were in love with John?" AJ finally spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

Mary hung her head as Celeste blinked a few times. Celeste mouthed "Cena" to her best friend, who nodded in confirmation.

The eldest Diva in the room bit her lip as she slowly looked up to her friends in shame. "Because that would involve admitting to it. Which... I never have," she shrugged, taking a deep breath.

"So he really doesn't know how you feel?" AJ ran her fingers through her hair.

Mary just shook her head, not knowing what to say.

"Because um... I think he's starting to regret his marriage after what happened a couple of months ago," AJ finally decided to get a little harsh with her friend, sensing that the older girl needed it.

Mary swallowed hard, looking to the girls on either side of her. She felt her blood grow cold and her heart grow warm all at the same time with a mix of emotions from the thought of getting another chance with John. "I just can't do it. I can't be with anyone. No one will understand. I'm not good enough for anyone. I'm nothing."

Both girls frowned, not knowing how to react to the confession from their friend. In that moment, they knew it was going to take a lot more to fix things for Mary, and they couldn't do it alone.

…

November 21st, 2011 – Monday Night RAW

She knew that she had taken a huge risk in coming that night, but she was booked for a match. She couldn't exactly back out of it if she didn't want to explain why. At one point in the time leading up to the event, Mary considered going straight to Stephanie McMahon-Hemsley, and telling her friend the truth about wanting to avoid going to the main show in the company, but she didn't. There were a lot of people there that night backstage, so she knew that she could easily slip away and lose herself into the crowd, avoiding anyone she felt that she needed to avoid. Or well, she had hoped at least.

It was that night when fans really began to question whether she had actually made a heel turn, or if she was taking out her aggression from the way that Cody was treating her on her opponents. It had literally gotten to a point where some of the other Divas began to show fear when facing the twenty-nine year-old veteran. She could have even swore she saw a rather burly looking gentleman holding up a sign that said "Leave Cody for me, I'll treat you right." during her match, which only made her want to vomit. After securing the win in a six Diva tag match, Mary was making her way to the locker room when she was stopped by a familiar face. She bit her lip, slowly looking into his eyes. "Hi John," she whispered.

"Mary..." he nodded, slowly bringing his arms around her, hoping for a simple hug.

The Diva sighed, unable to deny the man she loved something as little as a hug. She slipped her arms around his waist, trying not to cry right out there in the hallway.

"I've missed you Mary. I'm sorry for whatever I said to hurt you." The former champion kissed the top of her head.

"And I'm sorry that I lied to you," she whispered as she pulled away and slipped into the Diva's locker room. She simply hated the thought of being the reason his marriage was possibly ending, and she didn't want to show any signs of how she felt in the least.

…

A half hour later, Mary stealthily made her way down to her dressing room, not running into anyone she didn't wish to see. Only to open the door to see the newly crowned WWE Champion, making himself comfortable on her couch. She rolled her eyes in disgust, "what the hell do you want?"

"Close it," he stated simply, motioning to the door behind her.

Mary raised an eyebrow as she cautiously closed the door, keeping her distance from the man, who was a virtual stranger to her.

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow?" He started out in a sing-song, taunting voice.

She rolled her eyes, "again Punk, what do you want?"

"I'll tell you how your garden grows, Mary. With lies and deceit and misgivings... or at least that's the story of someone I used to work with in Ring of Honor." He stood up, taking a few steps toward the Diva.

Mary tensed up, "what are you talking about?"

"Oh you know, your dear ol' step-dad. The one you got fired from this company. I'd have to say that was the best thing that happened to him. He did so much better when he was placed in a non jobbing role." Phil chuckled.

"Look, I don't know what he said to you, but..." Mary clenched her fists, trying to push away memories from the summer of her fourteenth year.

"He told me that you were a lying slut, trying to claw your way to the top before you were even old enough to understand what was going on," Phil stated coldly.

Mary took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "Phil... how many fourteen year-old girls willingly give themselves to twenty-two year-old men?"

Phil blinked, taking a step back. "Wait, you were how young and what happened?"

Mary just shook her head, "just... be surprised you were allowed to do that promo with Mysterio's kids in the ring. They've taken many lengthy precautions after what happened to me." She pointed to the door, "now get out of my room, Punk."

The champion held his hands up in surrender, "hey Mary, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She nodded slowly, "thank you for not bringing this up publicly. I'll handle it."

Phil swallowed hard as he quickly left Mary's dressing room, running into Alex as he walked out the door. "I can't believe that guy," he muttered as he walked down the hall.

Alex walked into the room, immediately closing the door behind him. He saw the look on his sister's face, which caused him to frown. "Mare?"

"Anthony has been spreading lies about me in Ring of Honor," she turned to her brother.

Alex balled up his fists in anger, "I'll kill him."

"Get in line, little brother. This has officially gone too far." Mary shook her head as she looked around and quickly began to gather her things. "I want to leave now."

Her younger brother nodded, "want me to see if any of your friends are ready to go?"

She nodded, "please." She took a deep breath as she finished up and Alex disappeared from the room.

Fifteen minutes later Mary was heading out of the arena with Alex, AJ, Cody, and Ted, only to be stopped by John Laurinaitis, the interim general manager for Monday Night RAW, with cameras in tow. They hadn't expected for their leaving the show early to become a kayfabe situation, but they were professionals, so they ran with it. This meaning that Ted had to quickly get out of the view of the cameras, being that he was no longer friends with Cody in storyline.

"Hey, you people can't leave yet. The show isn't over," the senior vice president of talent relations was obviously trying to throw his weight around with his new on air role.

The group of friends sighed, rolling their eyes.

"What makes you think you can tell us what to do?" Cody shot at the authority figure, roughly wrapping his arm around Mary's waist.

"Because I'm the..." the hoarse gentleman began to spout off his title just as another face joined the scene.

"You aren't allowed to tell them when they can and can't leave after they've done their part for tonight's show. Technically, they're all on the SmackDown roster, and not under your authority," CM Punk shot a wink to Mary, who responded with a small smile. "They have nothing else to do here tonight, so they have every right to choose to leave. They may have an emergency situation to attend to."

"You know what," the show's general manager waved the group off, "just go."

As Laurinaitis and the cameras left the group, they all turned to the WWE Champion in question, except for Mary. She had a feeling that she knew why he had stood up for them, and she was grateful for it. This just didn't fully absolve him for his actions barely twenty minutes earlier.

"Thanks Punk," Mary smiled sweetly with a sigh. "We were really hoping to avoid that."

Phil nodded, "consider it my first act of retribution. Whatever you have planned for that prick, I want in."

Mary continued leaning into Cody's now embrace and nodded, smirking at the way that the champion and her female friend were looking at one another. "If he really thinks that he can ruin me, he has another thing coming. Enjoy the rest of the show, Phil. I'll let you know when we get the ball rolling."

CM Punk saluted the group of friends before heading back to the main part of the arena, getting ready to make his next appearance in the episode.

The friends all piled into one rental car, Alex in the driver seat as the rest turned to Mary. Alex pulled out of the parking lot as Mary swallowed visibly.

"Talk, Maryanne," Cody ordered as AJ got comfortable in between the fake couple.

Mary nodded, taking a deep breath. "Punk met the step-dad back in Ring of Honor. He's been doing nothing but try to smack talk me there for years. We have to put an end to this."

"Whatever you want to do, you know we'll all be more than willing to do whatever we can to help you with this," Ted smiled at the brunette behind him.

"I'm ready to tell John everything," Mary stated with complete confidence. "After that, I think I may be ready to go ahead and go public with it. Marcus is enough proof to run Anthony, as well as that TNA wannabe, into the ground for good." She didn't want to actually say Daniel's name, but she knew that everyone in the car knew exactly whom she was referring to.

"I'm in!" AJ grinned, proud of her friend. "By the way, we get to be friends on camera now, too."

"We do!" Mary giggled. "We may as well start a new stable now. Wait... wouldn't that mean you'd have to turn heel, too?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Cody spoke up with a laugh. "You may not be a heel, Mare. You may just be taking out your aggression out on the other Divas."

"Who's fault is that?" Mary spoke softly as she loosely brought her arms around the younger girl next to her.

Cody nodded in defeat, "I'm probably the biggest dick boyfriend they've seen in the WWE in a while. I'm beginning to not like it, personally."

"Well deal with it," the twenty-nine year old stuck her tongue out at her friend.

…

Later that night John sat in a bar with Zack, Stephen, and Rey Mysterio, drunker than any of the men had ever seen him. "She said that she lied to me. What could she have possibly lied about?"

"I don't know, bro," Zack slowly reached over to take the bottle that his friend was currently nursing. "But drinking yourself into oblivion won't help you figure it out."

"Yeah man," Rey chimed in. "You know how stubborn she is. If she wants to tell you what she lied about, she'll tell you."

"That's easy for you to say, Rey. At least you know more about her than I do. Your wife is taking care of her son," John slurred, obviously having hit his limit for the night.

"Just because I'm being a good friend, that doesn't mean I know why she left you. There could be a number of reasons. Some people just have really screwed up lives." Rey sighed, fearing he may have said a bit too much.

"But I'm a grown man!" He slammed his fist onto the table, "I could have handled her issues. I _want_ to handle her issues. And I think that Liz may be starting to see that..." John started to get up. "I want another beer. Someone get me another beer."

Stephen quickly stood up, rushing to his friend's side and steadying him. "Looks like it's time for us to call it a night."

The other two men nodded, paying the tab and ushering John out of the bar. They helped him to his hotel room and got him into bed. The three friends shook their heads as they watched the face of the company pass out in front of them.

"I'll stay," Zack volunteered, to which the other two men nodded.

"Check and see if he has any appearances in the morning and figure out something to do about them if he does," Rey suggested. There was no way that John Cena would be able to face the public in the morning, and they all knew it. He looked to the other two men before slipping out to make his way to his own hotel room, "I'll talk to her. He's only going to get worse."

Zack and Stephen nodded as the latter followed Rey out, needing to get some rest before filming SmackDown the next day.

* * *

**Drama, drama, drama! And this is only the climax for the first part of the story. I'm no where near done with the whole thing. Thanks for reading! Please review?**


	8. Chapter 8

November 22nd, 2011

The next morning, Mary was unusually chipper. She woke up next to AJ, fully clothed. Which did make Mary pout a little, but she knew it was for the best. A sense of relief that she hadn't felt in years was now engulfing her entire being. She should have been honest wit John from the very beginning, but she was only human. She was bound to make mistakes. Today was a new day. She had years to make up for, and she was going to start right then and there. She showered and began getting ready for the day. After getting dressed and doing her hair, she pulled out her phone, dialing Rey Mysterio's number. She tilted her head as she thought she heard a familiar ring tone coming from the main door of her hotel suite. Blinking, she waited to see what happened next.

"Open the door," Rey's voice came through her phone, echoing through the doorway as he laughed.

Mary shook her head at herself as she opened the door and hung up her phone. "Well, then. Good morning. Is everything alright? Is Marcus is okay?"

"Angie has your number, bella dama. If there was an emergency with your son, she'd call you personally," Rey chuckled.

Mary blinked, nodding. "Right, right." She stepped aside to let her friend into her room, pointing toward the bedroom to show a sleeping AJ on the bed and motioned for him to stay at least somewhat quiet.

Rey smirked, raising his eyebrow at his friend playfully. "A little fun on the side?"

"Ha. Ha." Mary rolled her eyes. "I'm open to that, but no. AJ and I just fell asleep watching a movie."

The Hispanic gentleman nodded, taking a deep breath. "So why were you calling me?"

Mary found a chair to sit in, waiting for Rey to do the same. "I'm ready."

It didn't take much for the man on the other side of the table to know exactly what she was talking about. "That's actually the reason why I'm here. Well, it's on that subject anyway. I'm sure John is hung over right now."

Mary bit her lip as she propped her elbow up on the table. She closed her eyes as she rested her forehead on her palm. "I should have seen it coming. We... sort of had a moment last night."

Rey nodded, understanding that the whole situation was a huge mess. "I don't think that you're the only reason his marriage is falling apart," he offered in hope of making her feel a little better on the subject.

Mary swallowed hard, running her fingers through her brunette locks. "He doesn't know how old Marcus is. Randy just told him that I may have ended things because of my son. John just seems to assume that he's like six, or something."

The older man shrugged, "well, there is no time like the present to tell him. Are you sure that you are ready for this?"

A sly grin came across the young girl's face as she nodded. "There is another situation that has arisen, which was brought to my attention by Punk... which is just weird," she blinked, shaking it off. "So yeah, I want to get through telling John everything before starting my plan. That's what I was about to call you about. Do you think that it's okay if I have him meet me at your house on Friday? The best way to tell him is to show him in this case."

"Yeah, of course," the man nodded as he turned to see AJ stirring. "I'll call Angie and make sure everything is set up. I'd call Marcus if I were you tonight. Wait until after the SmackDown tapings, he has wrestling practice."

Mary giggled, nodding. "Yeah, she's a little awkward. She may freak if you're here when she wakes up."

Rey smiled, getting up and kissing the top of Mary's head. "See you at the show." He walked over to the door, letting himself out.

Mary got up and stood in the doorway of the bedroom area of her hotel suite as AJ slowly sat up. "Morning sleepyhead," she smiled at her young friend.

"We didn't..." AJ rubbed her head, looking around in confusion.

The older girl couldn't help but laugh. "April Jeannette Mendez, are you serious? Don't you remember attempting to watch the Battleship movie last night?"

"Oh yeah... right, right," she blushed, stretching. "I also remember raiding the minibar. That's why I asked."

Mary shook her head as she sat down on the bed. "Nothing happened, AJ. I care way too much about you to let something like that happen. My first time that counted was with Randy. It was beautiful and we were both one hundred percent sober. I want nothing less than that for you." Just as she got the last bit out her phone began to play "Voices" by Rev Theory. The girls shared a laugh as Mary stood up, answering the phone. "So... are we in trouble?"

"_No, in fact that segment is the most talked about from last night. You all did an amazing job,"_ the grin on Randy's face showed in his voice.

"Are we allowed to hit Laurinaitis? I was already going through enough shit last night. That was uncalled for," Mary sighed.

"_That's sort of why I wanted to talk to you. What's up with you and Punk? Since when you were you friends with him?"_

"I'm not," Mary shrugged, despite the fact that Randy couldn't actually see her. "Well, at least not yet. He seems like a cool guy, though." She turned to look at AJ who was making her way to the bathroom, "go ahead and shower in here, you never made it to your room, so your stuff is in here."

"_Don't tell me you fucked someone last night," _Randy sighed into the phone. _"You may get another chance with John. I know you want that."_

Mary couldn't help but laugh. "No, I just shared my bed with a cute little virgin. We attempted to watch a bad movie and fell asleep."

"_Oh, so that's where AJ ended up. Celeste was wondering." _Randy took a deep breath, _"now for the serious..."_

"I've already gotten some of the serious this morning. Rey was just here. John is most likely hung over. I'm telling him on Friday," Mary quickly got out before Randy could finish.

"_What exactly are we telling him now?_" Randy asked, wanting to keep things straight.

"Well... I am going to start with telling him that I was never in love with you, then I'm going to introduce him to Marcus," Mary swallowed hard, still afraid of how John would react. "Hopefully things fall into place after that."

"_Sounds good to me. I think I'll go check on my best friend. Well, I'm going to see if he still is my best friend..."_ Randy sighed into the phone.

Mary bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Randy. You know I am."

"_It's not your fault, I am the one who let it get to this. Let's just hope that he's not too far gone. I'll see you in a few hours." _Randy hung up before Mary could say anything else.

Mary shook her head as she opened the text message editor on her phone and selected John's name. She took a deep breath as she entered a brief, yet definitive message.

"If you want answers. I'm ready to give them to you. Come to San Diego on Friday. Meet me at Rey's house for dinner."

She sent the message, somewhat hoping that that John would get the message before Randy made it to his room.

…

John Cena woke up slowly, groaning as he sat up. As he opened his eyes, Zack handed him a cup of coffee. "Thanks man," he took the cup, immediately taking a drink. "Did anyone get the number of the train that hit me?" he laughed at himself.

Zack laughed as he picked up John's phone, seeing a new text notification window pop up, just as there was a knock on the door. "It's from Mary..."

John quickly took the phone as Zack got up and answered the door for his friend. He opened the message, his eyes widening as he saw Randy walk into the room. "Okay, I really need to figure out what happened after Mary hit the showers last night."

"It seems that she got cock slapped by reality, and it had something to do with Punk," Randy sat down in a chair by the bed.

John shook off the image that put in his head and took another drink of his coffee. "It looks like she may be mine just yet..."

Randy nodded, "she wants to tell you. This is huge."

Zack coughed, looking toward John's wedding ring.

John shrugged, setting his phone down. "I think that Liz may be cheating, anyway."

Randy sighed sympathetically. "They can't all take us being on the road all of time."

The hung over man sitting on the bed nodded. "It happens. I think that everyone knew I wasn't meant to be with her, anyway."

…

Later that night, SmackDown Tapings.

The show was about to start in an hour and AJ was making her way to Cody's dressing room, hoping he would be there. She couldn't get the image of the WWE Champion coming to the aide of the group of friends last night when John Laurinaitis attempted to stop them from leaving early. She hadn't actually met Phil Brooks yet, but she suddenly felt herself wanting to get to know him. This was something that AJ found incredibly odd. She didn't think that she shared anything in common with this man, yet she was fully intrigued by him. As she reached the door with Cody's name on it, she took a deep breath, knocking.

"Come in," a rather familiar female voice called out.

AJ tilted her head. What was Mary doing in Cody's room while the show wasn't going on? She slowly opened the door, looking to see Mary on the couch. "Hey Mare, is Cody..." Just as she was about to finish her sentence, she saw a shirtless Cody out of the corner of her eye, causing her to blush.

"Too much for you?" Cody chuckled as he ran his hand along his toned abs.

"It's different up close and in person," the young Diva stuttered out.

Mary giggled as she threw Cody his t-shirt to throw on. "So I take it you have your new scripts?" the older Diva patted the spot on the couch next to her.

AJ nodded as she plopped down next to the older girl, getting very cozy.

Cody raised an eyebrow as he watched the interaction of the two Divas, pulling a chair up in front of them. "Is there something you two want to tell me?"

Mary playfully smacked her male friend's knee with a laugh. She took the small stack of papers from the other girl and looked them over. "Gosh, the interaction between you and Bryan is ridiculously cute. I hope they keep you two together for a while."

AJ nodded as Cody stole the scripts from his on-screen girlfriend. "Which is actually better for me. I wouldn't want the universe assuming I was engaged in rough sex on a nightly basis."

Mary and Cody eyed one another for a moment before breaking out in a hearty laughter. "I almost forgot that we've been together on screen for that long. With the way they have you treating me, you'd have to be giving it to me good nightly by now, Coddles."

Cody felt his cheeks turn a deep shade of red as he looked away to read over AJ's script. "I doubt I'd be able to make you feel so good that you'd allow me to treat you like that in real life."

Mary smirked, licking her lips at the reddened ears of her friend. "Oh dearie, if we were dating in real life, and you were treating me the way that you do on screen, I would have kicked your ass from here to Timbuktu five times over by now."

Cody nodded as he turned his attention to the younger woman in the room. "It looks like everything is rather cut and dry for you tonight. Just be your adorable self, and everything should play out nicely."

AJ smiled as she leaned into Mary, looking up as there was a knock on the door. Cody got up to answer, letting the smaller man inside.

"Ah, I had a feeling you'd be hanging out with Mary," Daniel Bryan walked into the room. "When I didn't see that she had her own dressing room, I took a chance."

"Sweet," Mary grinned as she brought an arm around the younger girl. "Kayfabe orgy time! You in Bryan?"

Bryan raised his eyebrow as he looked over to Cody, who laughed at the newer Superstar. "Is she...serious?" The World Heavyweight Champion pointed to the sight in front of them.

Cody shrugged, smirking playfully. "With the way that these two have been lately, it's hard telling. I heard they even had a little sleepover last night."

"Hey," Mary looked up, laughing. "We were trying to watch Battleship. Plus, I'm just warming her up for you."

"Is she always like this behind the scenes?" The Washington native chuckled at the open nature of the Diva.

Cody shrugged, "for the most part. She had been really down for a couple of months. Now she's back to her old self after an all night cuddle session with a very cute girl."

Mary rolled her eyes, kissing AJ's temple before getting up. "Hey, if you were facing the possibility of getting some for the first time in five years, you'd be in a good mood as well."

Bryan and AJ's eyes both widened, nearly popping out of their heads at what the young mother said, not able to come up with any sort of response.

"Five years?" Cody questioned his friend as she walked passed him and went for the door. "Wouldn't that mean before you were with..." He blinked as Mary walked out the door and closed it behind her.

The room fell silent for a few moments before Bryan made a sound effect and motion to tell the other two that his mind had just been blown.

Cody shook his head, doing a Vanna White pose toward the door. "Maryanne Williams, everyone. Never a dull moment with her in your life."

AJ timidly got up, walking over to Cody and studying his face. She bit her lip as she looked into the Intercontinental Champion's eyes.

"Please don't..." the Georgia native whispered to her.

She gasped softly, quickly covering her mouth. She grabbed her scripts and grabbed the wrist of the other champion in the room. "Come on, Bryan. We should leave him alone."

Once they were out of the room and on their way down the hall to the other man's dressing room, Bryan looked to the petite Diva questioningly. "What did I just witness?"

AJ shook her head, "Mary is just... special. I guess that can be expected from someone who spent a lot of their formative years backstage. It's a really long story. And oh, she can never find out what I just figured out."

"And that is..." he tilted his head, studying the panicking Diva.

"I think that Cody is legitimately falling for her," she bit her lip, running her fingers through her hair. "That's the last thing we need right now."

…

A half hour later, Mary was stopped in the hall by her best friend. She grinned, bouncing a little. "Hi Randy!"

"Well, hello Princess," he blinked, hugging her. "You really are in a good mood today."

She nodded, "I don't think anything could bring me down." Just then she felt her phone in her pocket, "excuse me." She unlocked her phone to see a text from John, which only made her grin wider. "He said yes!"

"That's great, Mare!" he hugged her again, tighter this time. "Everything is going to work out for you. I just know it."

Just then AJ skipped up to them, noticing that Mary was only looking happier than she had been the last time she had seen her. "Hey girl, what's up?"

"John is going to meet Marcus on Friday. It's like a million pounds has been lifted off of my chest. Whether he jumps into my arms that moment or not, it won't matter. He'll know, and that's all that really matters at this point." Mary smiled, slipping her arm around the waist of the younger girl.

"That's awesome!" AJ leaned into her friend. "I was actually hoping to find you because Bryan isn't able to come to the ring with me for my match in a few minutes, and I'm going against Beth..."

Mary laughed, nodding. "No problem, sweetheart. I've got your back." She looked up to Randy, "I'll see you later?"

"Of course," he nodded to his best female friend. He turned to AJ, "good luck out there."

AJ smiled sweetly, thanking him before the girls disappeared together. They made their way to the gorilla position, the technician noticing that Mary was with them. He asked if they wanted the ring announcer to announce that Mary was going to accompany AJ. The girls both nodded as the opening chords of "Let's Light it Up" by Kari Kimmel began to play. AJ skipped out the ramp and paused, looking back a moment, waiting for Mary to be announced. After hearing her name, Mary stepped out to the side of her female best friend with a grin.

"Looks like we've got an equalizer here, guys," Josh Matthews chuckled.

"Which is exactly what the tiny one needed," Booker T nodded. "With Natalya ringside, AJ had no chance against the Glamazon."

"Well, that's so long as Cody doesn't make his way out from the back," Michael Cole pointed out. "We all know she's a completely different person when he's around."

"I think that as long as there are no guys out here for her to flirt with, everything should be okay for Mary," Josh noted as the bell rang.

The match was well fought by AJ, but she was really just no match for the much larger woman. Mary did attempt to cheat at one point, helping her friend out, but that was thwarted by the daughter of one her idols. A fight broke out ringside as the match continued. By the time Beth hit the "Glam Slam" on AJ two more referees were outside the ring, pulling the other Divas off of each other. Once there was ample distance between Mary and Natalya, Mary retreated, climbing up onto the apron and stepping into the ring to help AJ out. The brunettes let the blondes walk up the ramp before Mary helped AJ out of the ring and to the backstage. Once they were cleared of the cameras, they ran into Beth and Natalya, who were laughing and applauding.

"Congrats, Williams, I think that you just caused a Diva feud that the fans may actually care about," Nat grinned.

"Thanks, Nattie," Mary pulled the other woman in for a hug. "Your dad is one of my all time favorites, by the way."

Nat returned the hug with a smirk. "I was wondering if we'd see you," she chuckled over Mary's shoulder.

"Hey, from where I was watching, that fight looked pretty brutal. What type of boyfriend would I be I didn't come out?" Cody shrugged.

"Well you didn't," Mary pointed out. "So Cody Rhodes is still a total dick to his girlfriend."

Cody nodded, sighing in defeat. "That's why I stopped myself."

"Wow," Beth blinked, "you two are completely different around each other off camera."

AJ nodded with a laugh, "you may have to sign a confidentiality agreement now. We can't have you going around telling everyone that Cody actually thinks about someone other than himself."

Both of the other Divas made a motion, showing that their lips were zipped on the manner before heading into the Divas locker room.

"We should follow," Mary nodded to Cody before slipping in after the other women.

AJ took Cody's hand comfortingly. "Everything will work out. Everything has to work out." She bit her lip as she slowly backed away, joining her friend.

Cody sighed, hanging his head. What was going on in his head?

* * *

**Yes, Mary is the type to use entrance themes as personal ringtones. This actually has some relevance to something that will happen later on. I hope you like!**


	9. Chapter 9

November 25th, 2011

Mary had been pacing in the family room of the Gutierrez house for two hours. They weren't expecting John quite yet, but she was obviously nervous. Marcus and Dominik were playing Xbox in the room, so Mary had to do her best not to walk in front of the screen.

Getting to the point where the boys had enough, they paused the game and Marcus looked up to his mother. "He's not even late yet, mom. You know how airlines are. He probably hasn't landed yet. I'm sure he'll call you as soon as he gets here."

Just as Mary was about to respond, "Basic Thuganomics" began playing on her phone.

"Isn't that his old music?" Dominik tilted his head at his best friend's mother.

Mary nodded with a shrug. "I liked his character better then." She walked out of the room to answer her phone. "And here I was actually thinking you were backing out on me."

There was a chuckle on the other side of the line, "_you're the one who ended things with me. I'm just glad you're done running._"

"Believe me, I'm emotionally exhausted. I'm just ready to be out with everything." Mary sighed, looking over to her son, who was already back into his video game.

"_And I'm ready to hear everything," _John grabbed his luggage and headed for the exit of the airport._ "I just got in and am about to hop into a cab. I should see you in about twenty minutes._"

"Sounds good to me. See you then," Mary smiled as she ended the call. "I love you," she whispered. Sure, she hadn't said it to him, but saying it was a huge relief for her to say it out loud.

Just then, Rey's wife, Angie, popped her head in the doorway. "Was that John, sweetie?"

Mary nodded, "he should be here in about twenty."

The older woman nodded, "well dinner will be ready in about a half hour. That gives you time to get your confessions in."

Mary nodded with a smile, taking a deep breath. She began pacing again, more frantically. This time she decided to stay out of the room where the teenage boys were playing, so that she would not disturb them. This ending up being a good thing, seeing as how time escaped her. What she felt like was only moments later, she heard the clicking of a man's tongue break her concentration. She swallowed hard as she saw Rey pat John's shoulder, wishing them luck.

Once they were alone, John offered a half smile. "Deep breaths, Mare. Don't want you passing out on me."

Emotions rushed over the twenty-nine year-old woman as she saw the man she had been in love with for years across the room. Tears filled her eyes as she ran across the room, into his arms. "I wish I had never left you," she blurted out.

"That makes two of us," he returned the embrace. "Now how about you tell me why?"

She nodded as she looked up into his eyes. Everything inside of her was screaming at her to kiss him, but she knew it wasn't the time. "It was never love between Randy and myself. We just ran our course and became best friends after that."

John chewed the inside of his bottom lip, sighing. "I think that I sort of knew that one."

She swallowed hard, taking a couple of steps back. "Now here's the real reason..." She turned toward the door to the family room and called out, "Marcus. It's time."

Just then a teenage boy walked into the room. He had his mother's hair and eyes, but his facial features looked more like someone Mary wished she would never have to face again. However, knew she would have to eventually and hoped that the man in the room with them would stand by her side when she did.

John ran his hand over his face. Everything had come together in his mind all at once. "Now I know what Daniel did to you..." he said softly.

Mary winced, causing her son to squeeze her hand. He had never seen his mother like this. He never really had a man that he could call "dad" in his life, but he now had the feeling that eventually he could have that in John Cena.

"John..." the teenager spoke up, sensing that his mother needed comfort that he couldn't give her.

The ten time former champion snapped his head up to see the woman in the room falling apart at the seams. He rushed over to her, cupping her face in his hands. "I'm not going anywhere, Mary," the conviction in his voice was stronger than she had ever heard from him. He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. He was still married, and he hadn't even spoken to his wife yet, but in that moment, he didn't care. He wanted to show this woman how he had truly felt about her all along.

"I don't think she's ever really dealt with it," Marcus spoke up as he released his mother's hand, letting John hold her in his arms. "I mean, I know that she's been with other guys since then, but that doesn't mean much in the long run."

John tilted his head at the words that had just come from the young man's mouth, which caused Mary to giggle softly. He looked down into her beautiful blue eyes as they sat down together, Marcus finding another chair close-by.

"I figured that under the circumstances, I may as well be as straight up with him as possible," Mary shrugged.

John shook his head with a laugh, "so this is why we're not together right now? You were afraid to tell me about this awesome guy?" He nodded toward Marcus.

"Marcus is a huge part of my life, John. I have already been through so much because of him, I just couldn't handle the thought of you rejecting me because of him."

Before John got a chance to respond, the teenage boy began fidgeting a bit. "Mom, can I get back to my game now?"

Mary laughed, nodding. "Go ahead, baby. John and I should probably talk in private now, anyway."

John looked up, shaking Marcus's hand before the teenager got up and ran back to the family room to continue his game. "I get it. Yet at the same time, I'm hurt. I was thirty-one at the time. I am very much open to the thought of having kids, and I don't think any less of you just because you already have one. No matter how old he is."

Mary nodded, hanging her head. "I know. I even think that deep down I knew that what we had was strong enough for you to accept Marcus."

"It still can be, Mary," John offered in a soft tone.

"You married Liz for a reason, John. Don't be so quick to throw her away just because of whatever this still could be," Mary bit her lip, studying his face before getting up and leaving the room.

…

January 29th, 2012 – The Royal Rumble

AJ, Celeste, and Mary sat in Randy's dressing room, playing with Alanna Orton. The young girl already referred to Mary as an Aunt, and everyone knew it wouldn't be long before she did the same with the other two. This was a favorite occasion for many of the Superstars. Hometown crowds and family backstage. All of the coworkers considered one another family, but it was always nice to get to see their actual family members every once in a while. There was an eight Diva tag match scheduled for that night, but none of the three Divas playing with the three and a half year-old daughter of Randy Orton were scheduled for it. Mary and AJ were there to support their on-screen boyfriends, and Celeste had joined them simply because she could. The girls had fun hanging out with the guys whenever they could, and that night was no exception. Marcus was in school, so it wasn't like Mary was missing precious time with her son, and AJ and Celeste didn't really have anyone to go home to.

"I don't even know why I bothered coming," Samantha Orton laughed from the other side of the room.

"Because you like watching daddy wrassle!" the small girl perked up, attempting to mimic one of her father's moves, causing the four women in the room to erupt in laughter.

"In about twenty or so years, they will be crowing a fourth generation Diva with the title," Mary predicted with a smirk.

"Dear God, I hope not," Randy rolled his eyes with a groan.

"Hey, we can't keep her away from it. Look at how well that worked out for you," his wife pointed out.

"Plus, it's not like you can tell her that girls don't do it," Celeste added, sticking her tongue out at her coworker.

"Put that away, woman. I don't know where that's been," Randy glared at the three girls on the floor with his daughter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" AJ pouted.

"Something that isn't for small ears," Randy teased the Divas, causing them to all gasp playfully.

…

During the main event, Mary was watching backstage after Cody had been eliminated from the rumble. She smiled as a pair of muscular arms made their way around her shoulders from behind. She rubbed his arms with a grin, "hey John." They had basically been seeing each other for the past two months since she finally told him everything. In the time, he silently made it known that he had chosen Mary over Liz. It was just that they hadn't actually said as much, not ready for it to be official quite yet. Instead they just shared an unspoken relationship. Stealing kisses and cuddles here and there, never really talking about what was going on between them.

"You looked amazing tonight," the deep voice whispered into her ear.

She took in his scent, noting that he had just showered after his match with Kane. She took his left hand into hers, noticing that he hadn't put his wedding band back on, which caused her to bite her lip. She knew that could only mean one thing, and she didn't want to voice it quite yet. Instead, she just rubbed the place where it was supposed to be, letting him know that she noticed. "Thanks. Zack is okay, right?"

He laughed, pressing a kiss to the side of the Diva's head. "Of course he is, you know that."

"Hey now," she leaned into him, "I wonder with Glenn sometimes."

He shrugged, acknowledging her sentiment. "He is really good at pulling off the character, isn't he?"

"Did you see the behind the scenes stuff for 'See No Evil'? His co-stars were genuinely afraid of him," she giggled.

He nodded, rocking back and forth a bit with her. "I think that he did that for a more genuine reaction from them."

"Good point," she smiled. After a few moments, she looked up at him, "should we be risking this here?"

…

February 6th, 2012 – Monday Night RAW

The feud between Kane and John Cena had continued to rage on, and Mary had noticed something about all of it that it seemed John had missed. She asked Stephanie if she could interrupt the promo between the men that night. Her friend was skeptical, but granted her request. While the two men were verbally going back and forth in the ring Mary's music began to play. They both looked on questioningly as the Diva entered the ring and placed herself between the two large men, her back to John. She took his microphone and took a deep breath, looking to each of the men.

"I think that there is a bit of a miscommunication here. I'd like to try and help straighten it out," she looked to each man.

"Mary, what are you doing?" John's voice could be heard over the microphone as he subconsciously brought a hand to his secret lover's hip. Thankfully, it was interpreted as the "face" being protective of the female in the ring with a potentially dangerous villian.

"Just hear me out," she sighed. "John has started a 'rise against hate' campaign. Which is cool. Bullies are haters, and here in the WWE, we are very much against bullying." She paused, taking a deep breath, "now Kane, you want John to embrace the hate. Which is actually cool, too. Hate is an emotion. Anger is a fuel that can drive us in life. And let's face it," the Diva shrugged, "it's been a while since we saw you actually feel something, John." She looked back to John's face, who's expression hadn't changed. Getting an idea, she looked to Kane and mouthed "hit me".

Kane, understanding where the Diva was going with this, he raised his hand in preparation to strike her. "Stay out of this, woman!" Just as his hand was about to connect with her face, John grabbed his wrist. He shoved Mary out of the way and hit Kane in the stomach.

"You want an another match at Elimination Chamber, you've got it!" John shouted into the microphone that had been dropped in the chaos. He quickly turned his attention back to Mary who was being helped out of the ring by AJ and Kaitlyn. He nodded to the two other Divas before wiping his face in anguish over what had just happened.

Mary had gotten what she wanted out of that interaction, but at what cost? She knew the risk she had taken in doing this, but for some reason, she didn't care. Back in their dressing room, AJ and Celeste shoved Mary down onto the couch.

"What the hell were you doing?" AJ shrieked at her friend.

"Making things worse for myself, apparently," the eldest Diva in the room sighed, slumping back.

"Cody is going to freak out. You know this, right?" She went to continue yelling at her friend when the door opened behind her.

"Mary what the fuck?" Randy bellowed at his best female friend.

"You could have gotten seriously hurt," Cody was right behind him.

Mary sighed, running her hands through her hair. "Well I didn't. I was being selfish, and it's probably going to bite me in the ass," she shrugged.

"He's already not wearing his ring anymore, Mare," Randy sighed. "He's as good as yours."

The eldest Diva in the room shook her head, looking down. "If that were the case, he would have actually spoken to Liz on the subject in the past two months. Which I know he hasn't. He's established a relationship with Marcus, but my son doesn't need another uncle. He already has plenty of those."

"You can't force John to be a father figure, Maryanne," Randy walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. "That will come with time."

"I know that, Randy, but we're a packaged deal. He can't be with me and pretend that Marcus isn't there," Mary looked to each of her friends with sad eyes. "Plus, until one of them files for a divorce, he can't have me. I refuse to be that girl. I am better than that." What no one in the room knew was that John walked up to the door soon after Cody slammed it behind himself and had heard everything up to that point. After hearing what Mary had to say on the subject, he hung his head, turning on his heel and retreating down the hall.

"But Mare, you know that you're the one he wants to be with. We can all see it, baby," AJ pouted.

Randy raised an eyebrow, "I'm still wondering about you three."

Mary smirked, "looking for the dirty details now that Alanna is no where near?"

Cody coughed, "are there any?"

Mary rolled her eyes as AJ sat in the older girl's lap, bringing her arms around her shoulders. "Like we'd actually tell you."

Cody turned away, trying to keep his reaction away from the girls, causing Celeste to laugh. "You two better cool it. I think that Cody likes the idea too much."

There wasn't actually anything romantic, nor sexual, between the girls, but they loved torturing the guys with the idea. Mary, AJ, and Celeste just happened to be comfortable enough with one another to often look questionably cozy and any given time. It seemed that Randy had finally figured this out, seeing as how he was laughing at the girls and holding AJ's legs across his lap, getting quite comfortable with the girls as well. Before anyone could say anything, there was a knock at the door. No one moved from the positions they were in as Mary looked up and called out for the person to come in.

Stephanie McMahon-Hemsley popped her head into the door, looking around. She slipped inside, not letting any prying eyes from the outside get a look at the scene in front of her. She shook her head, smirking as she saw Cody's back to her, his face buried in Celeste's shoulder, the Diva patting his head sympathetically. "Mary... you are definitely something else."

The addressed Diva perked her head up from the spot between her two best friends with a grin. "You've known me since I was like ten, Steph. This shouldn't surprise you in the least."

The older woman laughed, nodding. "Well, I'm just here to let you know that your promo went over amazingly, and Glenn wanted me to check up on you. Which, I believe you are doing just fine."

Mary extended her right arm into the air, giving her friend the thumbs up. "The WWE universe needs a little crazy logic thrown at them every once in a while."

Stephanie nodded, "and you're amazing at giving it." She stepped back to the door, slipping back out. "Enjoy the rest of your night, everyone."

After the door closed, Celeste looked over to the couch. "Mare, there's something else, I can tell."

Randy and AJ both nodded, Cody would have agreed as well, but he was still dealing with something else at the moment.

Mary took a deep breath. "I still can't shake the fact that John did marry Liz. He made a commitment to her. Now he's just looking to throw that away? Even if he has loved me all along, marriage is a big thing. As much as I want to be with him, I can't simply look the other way here."

Randy nodded with a sigh, "I guess I can see where you're coming from there. If I were in John's position, I would hope that the other woman would be questioning things. Just like you are."

All three Divas nodded, Mary laying her head on AJ's shoulder. "I won't force him into ending things with her before he's completely ready," Mary said softly. She looked over at Cody, who still hadn't said anything. "Hey, you all right over there, Coddles? You want me to kick everyone else out?"

Cody snapped to attention, his eyes wide as he looked over to his on-screen girlfriend. Not many girls could go from talking about the man they were in love with to offering another man sexual favors without missing a beat, but Mary was a special girl. "As long as you and AJ don't start making out, I should be fine."

The three girls giggled as Randy shook his head, "you're missing out, man."

AJ gasped, "you're encouraging her?"

"I know her," he chuckled. "She needs it, and soon."

The room fell silent after the last thing Randy said. Over the next few minutes, everyone except Cody filed out, all being needed elsewhere. Once their last friend closed the door behind them, Cody stood in front of Mary. She slowly looked up, biting her lip.

"You know I can't, Mare. I just..." he swallowed visibly.

She blinked, "I'm not asking you to fuck me, Cody. I was just messing with ya. We've been friends so long that it could ruin everything. Don't listen to Randy. I mean, yeah... it has been a while, but I can handle it."

He dropped to his knees in front of her, taking her hand into his. "I couldn't just simply fuck you, Maryanne. You mean a lot more to me than just some animalistic need."

With that confession, Mary literally felt her heart breaking in her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a slow, deep breath. "That's exactly how I feel about you, Cody. You are so much more to me than a simple throw away." There were a million things going on in Mary's head after that. Why was Cody saying the things she wanted to hear from John? Or why couldn't she feel for Cody what she felt for John? The journey for Maryanne Alexis Williams had just begun, and she wasn't sure if she could handle what was to come.

* * *

**Yes, this is another one of my moments where I hold up my hands and say "don't kill me!" Don't worry, I promise that she's not going to suddenly change her mind and go for Cody. This is just building up to a little side story drama.**


	10. Chapter 10

April 2nd, 2012 – Monday Night RAW

In the two months between Royal Rumble and WrestleMania a lot had happened on camera and behind the scenes. In amongst all of the drama, they had forgotten to celebrate Mary's birthday, but she shrugged it off. She knew they would get to it when things calmed down. The week after Mary had put herself into harm's way by getting in the face of Kane, John had a scripted kiss with Eve Torres. Mary knew it had been coming, but it had looked like one of the most real, passionate kisses she had seen in her life. After that they went from having an unspoken affair to just simply not speaking to one another. After Elimination Chamber, Mary and Cody received notice that their on-screen relationship would be ending soon. Which was just as well, with as long as they had been together, it was either break up or get married in the cycle of on-screen relationships in the WWE. They spent the next five weeks screaming at one another every time that they were on camera together, leading up to Mary taking Cody's championship belt from him after a match on SmackDown and "knocking him out" with it in the middle of the ring. After dropping the belt on his chest, she simply walked out of the ring, receiving a thunderous applause from the crowd on hand. That also served as the precursor to Cody losing the title to The Big Show at WrestleMania.

Unfortunately, Mary's wasn't the only on-screen relationship that had taken a turn for the worse. It was that night when Daniel Bryan was supposed to begin treating AJ poorly, accusing her of holding him back and blamed her for losing the World's Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus in merely eighteen seconds. However, no one knew where this was leading quite yet. All Mary knew was that she didn't like it. AJ was young and naïve when it came to relationships. If they were to have her go through something similar to what she just had, it was possible that it could be damaging to the young Diva's psyche.

The only good thing to come out of those two months was that Mary came out with her story to the world the day before WrestleMania in a press conference. She had been receiving a mixed reaction to her story, many wondering if it was just a storyline or gimmick, even after revealing Marcus to the world. It didn't matter, though. The truth was out, and Mary was prepared to face whatever was to come because of it. She was even prepared for whatever was to come from Daniel, who had just found out that he had a son along with the rest of the world, nearly fifteen years after the fact.

It was the night after the biggest wrestling event of the year and the entire show was basically dealing with the aftermath of everything that had occurred. During a promo where Daniel Bryan began ridiculing AJ, Mary watched on a monitor in back, cringing as CM Punk walked up beside her.

"Certain things are still rough, even when we know it's fake, huh?" the WWE Champion patted the Diva's shoulder.

She nodded with a sigh, "I hated doing what I did to Cody last week on SmackDown, but it was in the script, and he insisted I stick to it. And now there's this..." she motioned to the screen where Bryan was continuing to talk down to her friend.

"She needs a real man," the Chicago native mumbled.

Mary couldn't help but smirk, "maybe a white knight? You do know that I'm friends with Stephanie, right? I can make it happen. It would be a sure fire way for you to get to know her."

"That obvious, huh?" he chuckled softly.

The now thirty year-old Diva giggled, "trust me, I'm sure that I'm just as obvious about who I want to be with."

"You mean John boy?" He smirked, running his finger along his lip piercing.

"See?" she giggled. "How did you know, anyway?"

He took a deep breath, "I saw you after his little scene with Eve. You were crushed. We aren't exactly close, so it didn't feel right to comfort you. Plus, I think that 'The Million Dollar Brat' had swooped in, or something."

Mary rolled her eyes at his nickname for Ted. "It's almost scary how one of those three can be always be there whenever I need someone."

"You can't deny that it's good to have that stability, though," Phil nudged his new friend.

She nodded with a smile as her phone went off. She looked to see a notification for more hate mail, she rolled her eyes. "You'd think that a victim, like myself, would be getting a little more respect for coming forward with her story. I mean, why would I make something like this up? It's a horrible thing to happen to a young girl. Definitely not to be taken lightly."

"It'll die off," he assured her. "The good thing being is that now you don't have to worry about hiding it from anyone. It's just out there now. It's fact. They can either deal with it, or not. It's not really your problem if they don't believe you."

"I'm just still waiting to hear from family members, or you know... _him_," she still didn't like saying Daniel's name, but it was obvious whom she was referring to.

"Your family doesn't know?" he was genuinely shocked.

She shrugged, "I was an unwed, pregnant teenager. The circumstances didn't really matter after that fact. Some of my cousins already knew, but that's it."

"Can I ask you something that you probably don't want to think about?" he hesitated, but he had a feeling she hadn't thought about what he was about to ask her.

She took a deep breath, nodding. "Go ahead."

"You don't have to answer me, but... What if he wants to be in Marcus's life?"

Mary sighed, hanging her head. "A lot of things can change in fifteen years. I guess that I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it."

…

Later on in the show, Mary walked up to AJ with a grin. "He likes you."

The younger Diva blinked, not knowing what her friend was talking about. "Who does?"

"Punk, silly. He wants me to talk to Steph about putting you two in a storyline, so you can get to know each other," she licked her lips as she saw John walking down the hall in their direction. She smiled, taking a deep breath. She knew that he had finally talked to Liz about everything, despite the fact that John didn't have the time to go home in the past few months, but neither had filed for a divorce quite yet. Liz was attempting to desperately hold on for the money while John was just waiting for a chance to go home and do it.

"Well, I would definitely be into that. There's just... something about him." She turned to see John merely feet away from them and smiled. "That looked like it hurt," she pouted sympathetically, referring to the "F5" that he had recently received from the returning Brock Lesnar.

John nodded, stopping to talk to the Divas as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not sure I like where this line is going."

"Hey, you could bring out your old chain out," Mary batted her eyelashes with a hopeful smile.

"But Mare, if he went that route, it could lead to baby making in the ring. This is a PG show," the younger girl teased her friend.

John coughed as Mary's eyes went wide. "Mary... what is she talking about?"

Without answering John, Mary pointed in the opposite direction that she had intended going into. "Go," she told her friend sternly.

AJ pouted, "sorry. I just get so happy seeing you together. I got carried away."

"I know, sweetie. It's just not the best timing," she sighed, giving John a pleading look.

"My dressing room," he took her hand, leading her further down the hall in the direction he had just been heading into.

Mary nodded as AJ retreated in the other direction.

Once in their room, John locked the door and sighed heavily. "Mary, I still haven't filed for a divorce."

She swallowed hard, sitting down on the couch in the room. "So I guess we're finally talking about this?"

He knelt in front of her, taking her hands into his. "I heard what you said the night we had that confrontation with Kane in the ring."

She bit her lip, "John, I..."

He quickly shook his head, "no, you're right, Mare. I'm still legally married. You deserve so much more than just being the other woman. Not to mention, you mean a hell of a lot more to me than that."

She took a deep breath, "there's no hurry, John. I'm not going anywhere. You have my heart."

He nodded, biting his lip as he looked down for a moment. "Now... onto what AJ said..."

"Well..." she licked her lips with a chuckle, "I may as well not keep it from you. I'm a 'Chain Gang' girl," she shrugged. "As much as I respect the whole 'Cenation' thing, there was just something about your early days here."

He grinned, getting up and sitting next to her. "I've actually been working on a new character angle where I somewhat go back to that. Like not repeating it, but fans of it will definitely like it."

She nodded, "maybe someday we can be a heel power couple, or something."

He laughed, bringing an arm around around her shoulders. "Only if they'd allow that. I'm actually getting a little sick of my face being everywhere."

She nodded, "it really has gotten old. It's time for them to move on."

He smiled, leaning in a little, but hesitating, looking into her eyes.

"You can kiss me, John," she stated in a hushed tone. "Not much more, though. You know what the stipulation for more is," she wet her lips in anticipation.

He nodded, closing the gap between them. He pressed her lips to hers, just wanting to linger in the moment. It was simple, yet passionate. It was their first real kiss in years, and they both wanted to hold on as long as they could. Not wanting to pull away from her, he eventually pressed into it. They continued kissing, letting the moment get lost between them until there was a knock on the door. They broke away, frowning. "Yeah?" he called out, not even noticing that his hand had slid up her shirt in the process.

"John, it's Celeste," a voice from the other side of the door squeaked.

With a sigh, John got up, walking over to the door and unlocking it. He opened it to see the two-toned haired, "Hybrid Diva" on the other side. "Well hello there," he chuckled. He stepped aside, letting her in.

Celeste blushed slightly as she walked inside to see her friend on the couch, who looking slightly disheveled. "Did I um... interrupt something?"

Mary nodded, "you did, but it's probably for the best." She got up, walking across the room to slip her arm around John's waist.

"Right," the younger girl awkwardly gestured. "So um... I just ran into AJ..."

"Crap, that's right. I should probably go talk to her," Mary slapped her forehead.

Celeste quickly shook her head, "if you two want to continue, I can go tell her that everything is okay."

Mary shook her head, "he's still legally married. He doesn't get this yet."

John sighed, nodding. "Cold shower tonight."

Mary smirked, leaning in to kiss him once more with a longing passion. "You'll live, baby." She turned to take Celeste's hand, pulling the other girl out of the room.

…

April 3rd, 2012 – SmackDown Tapings.

When Mary arrived at the venue that night, she was handed her scripts. She read them over as she made her way to the Divas locker room, getting ready for the night. She was happy to see that her suggestion had been taken. A number of the mid-card level Superstars were in need of a good push, and she found a way to give that to some of them. After getting into her ring gear, she headed back out looking for her first victim. She barely made it five feet down the hall when she ran into just that man.

"Hey Broski," she smirked, stepping back a little.

Zack shook his head, licking his lips. "Are you serious, little Diva?"

She laughed, nodding. "It was my idea."

"So you're going to taunt me, and then your brother is going to come up and challenge me to a match?" He wanted to make sure he knew what exactly was going on with this new gimmick.

"Yup!" She grinned as Alex walked up. "Well, basically anyway. Speaking of, it's time you meet him," she nodded to the man behind her friend.

Zack turned to see the man who he had seen in the ring a bit, but he hadn't faced yet personally. "Ah yes, Billy Alexander."

"You can call me Alex," the other man chuckled, holding out his hand.

"Ah, right," Zack nodded, shaking his future competitor's hand. "I guess they didn't like the name Alex Williams."

"Yeah," Mary rolled her eyes. "I guess one Alex on the current roster is more than enough."

"Lord forbid we confuse the fans," Zack agreed. "Shall we get ready then?"

The siblings nodded and made their down the hall with Zack Ryder, getting ready for their backstage segment.

…

Randy shook his head as he watched Mary's exchange with Zack on a monitor with Cody and Ted. "I still say she's going to end up getting herself hurt."

"You know how much that would screw everything up in the storylines if she did?" Ted smirked.

The older man nodded, "yeah, if Mary found herself face to face with someone that didn't care that she's a woman, _and_ she couldn't handle him, there would be so many of us on the scene without a second thought."

"Right now, I think that Alex is the only one that she has in storyline now," Cody sighed, hanging his head.

"Hey, did you want a kayfabe marriage? You know that was the only other option by that point," Randy shrugged. "They seem to think that the fans all have pea-sized attention spans."

"Well yeah, but it means less time with her," Cody pouted.

"We all have less time with her now because she's with John now," Ted shrugged, not noticing the look on his friend's face.

Randy looked over to Cody, blinking. "You've got to be fucking kidding me, Runnels. You do know that she was never really yours, right?"

The youngest member of what used to be known as The Legacy shrugged. "We spent a lot of time together off camera, too. We really bonded."

Ted shook his head, "and so did we. As I remember, we were supporting her in her quest to fix things with John."

Cody shrugged, "I can't help how I feel guys."

…

Feeling it wasn't best to start out Billy with a hot winning streak, due to him to being an average sized wrestler, the first match of the Williams sibling's new gimmick was a loss. Though, it was via disqualification. Mary had tried to step in and help her brother, but she was caught by the official, who ended the match after she gave Zack a hard forearm to the side of his face. If she wasn't considered a heel while she was dating Cody, she had definitely made that turn with that action. After the match, Mary met Zack backstage, who was rubbing his face where she had struck him, causing her to wince.

"No wonder the other Divas have been afraid of you lately," he laughed softly, shaking his head.

Mary pouted, "Sorry Zackster, sometimes I don't know my own strength."

Zack shrugged, "I get worse hits from the guys. I just didn't expect that kind of power from one of you Divas."

She smirked as she saw Randy and Ted walking up behind Zack. "You better not let Beth or Nattie hear you say that."

Zack thought for a moment and nodded, "I bet Kaitlyn could pack a punch, too. This almost makes me want to know what you're like in bed."

She laughed, "well, you can't ask John. He wouldn't know."

Zack shrugged, "I could always ask Randy."

"You could," Randy's deep voice loudly pierced Zack's ear, causing the smaller man to jump, "but I wouldn't give that sort of information about a girl I care about."

Mary laughed as Randy and Ted each walked over to either side of her. "I guess you'll never know, Zacky," she shrugged, then pointed to the locker room. "Go! You too, Alex."

Without questioning, her brother and friend both disappeared into the locker room.

Ted blinked, watching the whole thing in disbelief. "Damn, you're demanding."

She shrugged, smirking. "It comes with being a mother. Plus, I can tell by the looks on your faces that there is something you need to talk to me about."

Randy nodded, bringing an arm around his best female friend as he began walking down the hall with Ted close behind. "It's about Cody..."

Mary sighed as she nodded, looking down. "I think I know."

"So I guess it's time to fill us in then?" the older man sighed.

She nodded, "you remember the night when we were having fun in the dressing room after I was almost assaulted by Kane?"

Both of her friends nodded in acknowledgment, despite Ted not actually being present for the occasion, then Randy wiped his face. "Shit. That was the night I jokingly suggest that you two fuck for real and killed the mood."

Mary nodded, biting her lip. "After everyone else left he practically quoted Shakespeare when he told me why he couldn't go for something casual with me. But I'm not too worried."

"Are you sure, Mare? We all know how Cody can be," Randy rubbed her shoulder.

She took a deep breath, "I don't think he's actually falling for me. It's almost as if he only thinks that he is."

"If you say so," the older man sighed heavily.

* * *

**As you can tell, I'm keeping major PPV stuff, title changes, and some existing storylines in tact. This is because I'm merely adding a couple of new people into the mix. There will be some significant changes a little down the road, though. Especially when it comes to some certain recent events. Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sooooo... Was anyone wondering how Mary knows Ted? Anyone? Bueller? I know he doesn't do much, but he's actually very important, and you're about to find out why.**

* * *

_Flashback:_

_April 27, 2009 – Monday Night RAW._

_Fresh off of their success against the team of Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon the night before at Backlash, The Legacy was riding high. Randy had won the WWE Championship as per the pre-match stipulation, so the three multi-generation wrestlers felt like they now ruled the company. They ran their mouths in the ring, but as soon as the cameras went away... well, they didn't quite as much. Just before the show, Mary walked into their dressing room, not even bothering to knock before doing so._

"_It's really too bad I don't claim to being second generation like I had originally intended on," she laughed, looking to Randy and Cody. She had been out with an injury for six months, so she hadn't gotten a chance to interact with the new stable sooner._

_The two men laughed as Ted appeared, "is that one of the girls? What if one of us happened to be- Mare Bear?" His eyes widened._

_She giggled, "hey Teddy Bear!" She ran over to him, jumping into his arms._

"_Well, I guess we don't have to introduce them," Randy smirked. He and Cody had already found that she knew both of them when Cody had first joined the company, a couple of years after she and Randy had ended their "romantic" relationship._

_Cody nodded, "how about you tell us exactly how you know each other?"_

_Mary grinned, as she hopped out of Ted's arms. "We dated for a bit when we were fourteen."_

"_You mean..." Randy bit his lip._

_Ted looked to Mary, who nodded. "Yeah, they know," she confirmed._

"_Yeah... We were together then," Ted nodded._

April 9th, 2012 – Monday Night RAW.

As the program began, there was a girl in the center of the ring. She looked a lot like Mary, only she had honey brown eyes, and appeared to be about ten years younger than the veteran Diva. After the music and the crowd died down, she looked over to the announcer's table, waiting for a nod from the men, signaling that they were ready for her to speak.

The young girl took a deep breath, looking into the camera. "Hello ladies and gentlemen of the WWE Universe, I'm Chelsea Roberts." She paused as as the crowd reacted, mostly positively. "Yes, _that_ Chelsea Roberts. I'm here tonight because I haven't seen my big sister in fifteen years. It's been almost that long since I've seen my big brother. My whole life, my dad filled my head with lies about my siblings. My brother tried to tell me otherwise, but I was too young to understand. I was only six when everything happened to Mary. Two years later Alex..." she coughed, "or well, Billy as you know him... he got himself emancipated and left home as well. He did his best to explain to me before he left, but... my dad is well... he's my dad." She bit her lip as she looked over to see Mary and Alex walk out onto the entrance ramp. "I've spent most of my life believing that my big sister had abandoned me," she continued as tears ran down her cheeks. "The girl who stepped up at nine years old because our mother was too busy to raise me herself. I was lead to believe that she didn't want to be around me anymore. That there was something else she'd rather be doing than being in my life."

She was about to continue when her siblings made it into the ring. Mary immediately wrapped her arms around her sister, tears streaming down both of the girls faces. Alex took the microphone from Chelsea as he saw CM Punk at the top of the entrance ramp. He smiled at the older man, bringing the device up to his lips, "thanks Punk."

Punk smiled, he knew that he had just orchestrated a shoot, but it was something he thrived on. He could have just as easily arranged for this reunion to happen anywhere else, but as the top champion of the company, he had the power to let things play out this way. He nodded to the only male sibling in the ring and simply saluted him before heading back behind the curtain.

After a few minutes, the sisters finally broke apart. Mary took the microphone from her brother, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry everyone. I'm sure you want to get right to the action. We'll continue this elsewhere."

The three siblings left the ring to a thunderous applause. They may have currently been heels, but this was an uplifting situation and the fans loved it. They could continue their villainous gimmick on SmackDown, and possibly even add Chelsea in the mix. However, right now, they were receiving the love and admiration that they could never get at home. So they let it go on. They made their way to the locker room area, only to be greeted by their friends.

Mary grinned widely as she stepped away from her sister and into John's arms. She placed a light kiss on his lips before looking around to everyone and nodding to Chelsea. "Look at who Punk found for us, everyone."

She smiled as she watched everyone introduce themselves to her younger sister, noting in particular Cody's reaction to the younger version of herself. She smirked to Randy, Ted, and AJ, who each nodded at her. After all of the introductions were made Zack excused himself, being in the first match for the night.

"Leave it to Punk to pull a shoot like that," Randy shook his head.

"I know, right?" Mary laughed.

"Lauranitis is going to be pissed," Celeste smirked.

John shrugged, "let him. I don't think that any of us really care."

"I'm really going to need to learn all of these secret terms you guys have," Chelsea giggled.

Mary smirked, "they're not so secret, sis. There is a whole glossary up on Wikipedia."

"So does this mean you'll want to hang out with us on a semi-regular basis?" Cody perked up with a hopeful smile.

"Well, if my big brother and sister will have me, that is," Chelsea gave Mary a puppy dog pout.

"Cute, Chels," Mary rolled her eyes. "But c'mon now. We just got ya back. You think we'd honestly let you go now?"

"Trust us," Randy brought an arm around Chelsea's shoulders, "you're as good as family to all of us now. You are more than welcome to hang out whenever you want."

"Good um... because," the twenty-one year-old glanced around at the group. "I'm sort of between jobs."

Mary laughed, "say no more. We are all on it."

…

They could have gone to a bar, but that night the thought of loud music and smoke wasn't exactly appealing. So Mary, Alex, Chelsea, John, Zack, Stephen, Randy, Cody, Ted, AJ, and Celeste all gathered in one hotel suite. Mary was the only girl actually drinking beer with the guys, the other girls in the group had opted to buy a twelve pack of Mike's Hard Black Cherry to share. Typically, Mary didn't drink, so her friends were a little surprised to see her on her third beer. She was sitting on John's lap, in a chair, where most of the group had found places on the floor to circle themselves around.

"Punk would be so ashamed, Mare," Zack laughed.

Mary shrugged, "I'm allowed to drink every once in a while. My child is perfectly safe right now, and I have nothing to worry about here."

"That's right," Randy raised his beer in the air. "To freedom."

Mary giggled, "you and I are the only parents in here, Rands."

Randy blinked, nodding. "Oh, you're right. Now..." he motioned between Mary and John, "some best friends you two are. When were you going to tell me about this?"

Mary sighed, looking to John. "We really only started to actually talk about what's between us for the first time in months about a week ago."

John kissed her shoulder, "plus, I still need to get home to sort shit out with Liz."

Chelsea tilted her head from the other side of the room, "um... who's Liz?"

Mary bit her lip as Celeste's hand shot up. "I got it, Mare." She took Chelsea and pulled her aside to explain the situation to the youngest and newest member of the group.

As the two toned blonde went on to give her younger sister the Cliff's Notes version of everything that had been going on, Mary looked around the room at her friends with a grin. "John gets a few days off after Extreme Rules."

John blinked, "I do?"

Mary rolled her eyes, "yes, baby. Without me. You know why."

John nodded as Mary finished her beer.

"More," she giggled rocking back in John's lap.

Ted blinked, "I don't think I've ever seen you drunk, Mare Bear."

Most of the room nodded in agreement as Mary got up and got herself another beer before returning to John's lap. "I don't do it often."

"Fuck girl, weren't you drunk when we met?" Randy laughed.

"Yes, nineteen and knowing exactly how to get what I wanted from a bartender," she smirked.

"So that's where your inhibitions were," Randy shook his head.

"Cleavage can do wonders when you want something," Mary shrugged.

John looked down Mary's shirt and sighed, "did you have to remind me what I can't have?"

With that statement Randy got up and took Mary's hand, pulling her off of John's lap. "Better put some distance between you two. I know how she gets when she's like this."

"You'd probably be the only one," Ted laughed. "I didn't even get any tongue from her."

Mary blinked, looking back at Ted as she took a new spot next to AJ on the floor. "We were also fourteen, buddy."

_Flashback:_

_August 19, 1996 – Monday Night RAW in Jackson, Mississippi._

_Mary and Ted had met two years before deciding to casually date during the eighth grade. They had talked a lot over the summer, and agreed on ending things before starting high school. Since his father was still with the company at the time, Ted was allowed to go to the show that was near his hometown so they could have one last night together before embarking on their new lives. They had officially ended things earlier in the show, but they agreed to hang out after Daniel's match. The older man had made the mistake of not locking the door to the room where he had committed his heinous act and Ted walked in just before he was about to inflict more damage on the young Mary._

"_What are you doing to my girlfriend, man?" Ted walked into the room, adverting his eyes after seeing more of the girl than he had been ready to see._

"_Girlfriend?" Daniel raised his eyebrow at the young man. "What are you talking about kid? She's..."_

"_Only about seven months older than him," Mary finished for him, attempting to stand up, but her body was too weak from the attack._

_Ted quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around the girl's body and carefully picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "I don't ever want to see you again, Richards." He sneered before taking Mary out of the room and getting her some help._

_After the events of that night, they sort of went back on their agreement to enter high school single. Ted felt a bit of an obligation to stay with her after what had happened, and Mary let him. She was too fragile to even think about anyone else. Even after she told him that she was pregnant, he insisted on staying by her side. Needing the support, she didn't question his actions. They hadn't seen much of each other until In Your House 13: Final Four. Mary had only recently settled in in Stamford with the McMahons, and Chattanooga wasn't exactly close to Clinton, Mississippi, but they managed to get everyone to agree with them attending the event so that they could see each other._

_February 16, 1997_

_Mary waddled into the dressing room that she and Ted were to share for the night. They were both asked to keep interactions with the Superstars to a minimum. Which was fine for them, because they were really there to see each other. They barely looked at the monitor showing the events as they cuddled on the couch, really just focusing on each other the entire time._

_When the main event was about to start, Mary looked over to Ted with a sigh. "You're not ready for this, Teddy Bear."_

"_What are you talking about, Mare Bear?" he frowned._

_"I'm almost fifteen, you just turned fourteen, and I'm pregnant. It's not your baby. You're a great guy, but I'm not so sure you've really faced the facts here," she ran her hand over her belly._

"_I want to be there for you, Mary," he laced his fingers with hers. "For everything."_

_She bit her lip, looking down. "Ted, if we stay together, that means you'll be thrown into a daddy role. Do you really think that you can handle that?"_

_His face went pale as her words hit him hard. "Mary, I..."_

_She shook her head, "we will always be friends, Teddy Bear. You can be there for me that way." She leaned in, pressing her lips against his for what would be the final time. She smiled, "maybe it's better this way."_

_He sighed, biting his lip. "I will always be there for you, Maryanne. No matter what happens. You will always have me."_

"Hey," Ted laughed from behind his beer, "we were cute then."

"Yeah, so cute that it took you six months to fully realize that the fact that I was pregnant meant there would eventually be a baby in the mix," Mary stuck her tongue out at her former boyfriend.

"For the record, I did know that pregnancy meant babies at that age. I just didn't think about the fact that..." Ted drifted off, biting his lip.

Mary frowned, looking toward John for a moment before turning her attention back to Ted. "Marcus has never had anyone to call 'dad', Teddy Bear. We have turned out just fine despite that."

"Wait, he's 'Teddy Bear'?" Chelsea giggled as she walked back to the group, pointing to Ted.

"So you remember?" Mary laughed as she saw Ted blush.

"C'mon, sis. He was all you talked about for like years before you left. Of course I remember," Chelsea smirked as she tripped over her own feet and fell over onto Cody's lap.

"Years?" Ted raised his eyebrow as Cody steadied Chelsea, managing to accomplish not spilling a drop of her drink.

Alex nodded as he laughed at his younger sister. "She crushed on you hard before you started dating, man. After she got you, we never heard the end of it. First boyfriend, first kiss. It was non-stop."

"I... I think I'm just going to stay here," Chelsea blushed as she looked back at Cody. "If that's okay with you, of course."

Cody nodded as he began to blush a bit himself. "You're just fine, sweetheart. You two are definitely sisters."

"What makes ye say that?" Stephen chuckled as he sat down with his fourth beer.

"Mary is the only other person I've seen trip over her own feet. It really helped us sell me being an abusive boyfriend on camera," Cody chuckled.

"Yes, I don't know of anyone else who can legitimately hit their eye on a doorknob," Randy laughed.

"You're kidding," Zack scoffed.

Randy shook his head, "I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't witnessed it. She was playing with Al at the time."

"Yes, yes," Mary laughed as she leaned into AJ, gazing over at John. "I am a pro at many things. Most of which I will not address at this time due to certain people in the room."

Alex rolled his eyes, "John, can't you just like... magically get a divorce? She's driving us crazy."

Mary's eyes widened as the room erupted in laughter. "Alex!"

"Mary, I may be your brother, but we're both adults. I've accepted that you are a sexual person ever since that time I walked in on you with that one guy," Alex trailed off, trying to remember his name.

"I almost forgot about him," Mary laughed, shaking her head.

"If my brother walked in on me having sex, I'd want to repress the memory too, babe," Celeste patted her friend's shoulder.

"I didn't know that you dated anyone between myself and John," Randy tilted her head at his female best friend.

Mary shrugged, "I think his name was like Eric, or something. He was in OVW for like two minutes after you were called up. He couldn't hack it... In more ways than one." She licked her lips, laughing.

"Do I really need to hear this?" John shook his head, covering his face with one hand.

"And this is why we don't get to share a bed tonight," Mary pouted.

"That was an option?" John perked up, wondering if it could still happen.

"Only if we kept things upstairs. Which I think has totally gone out the window. I know how I would be in the morning if more happened, and I think that everyone else in this room does, as well. Well... it could make me worse than most of you have seen me," Mary bit her lip, getting up, suddenly sobered up considerably. She walked over to John, kissing him deeply.

The room fell silent at Mary's words. They all watched the couple, intrigued by their actions. John brought an arm around her waist as he returned the kiss. When they pulled away, John bit his lip, looking into her eyes. "I couldn't do that to you, Mare. I promise to be good, if that's what you want."

Mary brought a hand to John's cheek, smiling softly. "I don't want our first time to be when we feel like this. Drunk and incredibly horny can happen somewhere down the road. I would like to sleep in your arms if you think you can handle it."

John nodded, standing up and hugging Mary tightly. "It's getting late now, anyway. All of you SmackDown people should get some rest."

Mary looked around, "this is my room, so if anyone feels like they can't make it to their own, they can feel free to stay here." She looked over to Chelsea and Cody, glaring at her on-screen ex-boyfriend. "Are you going to be okay, Chels?"

Chelsea gave the thumbs up to her sister as Cody held his hands up in surrender. "You know me better than that, Mare. Plus, you know I'm afraid of you."

"We'll make sure she's taken care of," AJ bounced up to her feet. "Now go get your snuggle on, baby."

"All right, good night everybody," Mary waved to everyone in the room before being pulled out by John.

Once Mary and John were out of the room, AJ looked around. "I think us girls will probably just stay here."

Alex nodded as he cleaned up a bit. "It's not like I'd let my little sister stay with one of the guys," he looked over to Cody, who happened to be helping Chelsea up. "No offense."

"None taken," Cody nodded. "I get the same way with my niece."

"Speaking of, she's hot," Zack said as he got up and darted out of the room after getting a death glare from Cody.

"That fella is really going to get himself into trouble one of these days," Stephen shook his head as he left with Alex soon behind him.

AJ looked to Randy after the door closed once more, "you're worried."

"And so is Mary," Randy sighed. "She's never actually been with someone who really meant something to her. I was casual, and so was that other guy. There is no telling what sex with John will do to her emotionally. She had a hard enough time with me, but that's just because I was her first."

"Well no matter what happens, I know that I'll be there for her," Ted looked up. "I made a promise to her when we broke up, and I still intend to keep it."

"We all will," AJ nodded with a grin.

"Wow, when you said family, I didn't really think..." Chelsea blinked.

"It's different from your family, I know," Randy nodded. "I know that we're everything to your sister, and you can be that close to us as well."

* * *

**Okay, so I don't actually know if RAW happened to be in Mississippi on that night over fifteen years ago, but for the purpose of this story is was. No big deal, right?**

**So what do you think of Chelsea so far? I think that I'm liking her. I may look into writing a sequel/spin-off with her as the main character if anyone would be interested in it. Let me know! Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

May 3rd, 2012

Wanting John to deal with his marriage on his own, Mary kept herself busy with her friends while he was at home after Extreme Rules. After spending every night together from the previous RAW up until he left the morning after the pay-per-view, she let him go to do whatever he needed to do. She hadn't heard from John all week, so she just wanted to get away. On Thursday she packed up Chelsea and made her way to Long Island. They met Zack's friends and hung out while Zack worked on the finishing touches for that week's "Z: True Long Island Story". Needing another thirty seconds, Zack got an idea while watching the sisters having fun.

He set up the camera and began to record. "I even got a special guest this week..."

The clip cut to Mary and Chelsea dancing and rapping along to "I Got You Dancing" by Lady Sovereign.

"So move from the bar to the floor. You lot do it do it do it do it raw. Do it in time to my metaphor. Theres that dude that I met before. Oi do it like be distorted. Telephone him up real high yeah sorted. Tell a little lies what bear little porkies. If its all clear all clear to ignore me. I got you dancing. (I see you dancing.) I got you dancing. (Show me what you got.) Doing it d-doing it doing it d-doing it (yeah) doing it d-doing it doing it d-doing it."

It cut back to Zack, who was now doing an extreme close-up. "Yes, that would be the Williams sisters. It appears that they can rap. The talents seem to be never ending. Looks like she's doing just fine, Cody."

After the final product was sent to the web administrators of the official YouTube page Mary laughed. "Did you really just refer to us as the Williams sisters?"

Zack shrugged, "I figured that it would be easier. Plus, I presume that the little one is disowning that douchebag as well now."

Chelsea nodded, giggling. "If I'm going to be onscreen anymore, I'd rather just go by your name, sis."

Mary smiled. It was almost like as if the sisters hadn't lost all those years. In the past week and a half, they were already getting nearly close as they had been before. "And oh, are you hoping to start a feud?"

Zack smirked, shrugging. "It couldn't hurt. Cody just got his title back, so I'm sure he's riding high again."

Mary rolled her eyes, nodding. "I wouldn't be surprised if creative decided to find a way to get us back together now."

"Maybe, but it would give you something to do until you and John get serious," Zack offered.

Mary laughed as Chelsea shook her head, "wow, you guys really are like a soap opera."

"Oh you have no idea, Chels," Mary sighed.

…

May 4th, 2012

The group reunited for a house show in Oak Park, Illinois. Which happened to be the hometown for the Williams siblings. Some of their cousins were in attendance, so Mary knew it was time to face the music. After the show Mary, Alex, and Chelsea walked out to the ringside area, where their family members that were in attendence had gathered after the main event between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. AJ was at ringside, having just observed the match. She smiled as she walked over to her friends as they nodded to security to allow the small group backstage to join them.

Once they were away from the fans, Mary took a deep breath. "Phil, AJ, this is Mason, Erica, Todd, Andy, Brian, and Ali. These would be the cousins that I've kept in touch with the whole time."

"That would explain why you're billed from Chicago," Phil chuckled as he shook each of their hands.

"We were all born here," Alex chuckled with a nod as Randy, Cody, and Ted walked up.

Phil nodded as the other three men were introduced to the Williams siblings' cousins. "Well, I'm happy to share the hometown crowd with you, then."

After the group fell silent for a moment, Cody glared at Mary, who smirked. "Did you have anything to do with what Ryder said on his show today?"

Mary licked her lips, shaking her head. "He caught me off-guard with that, as well."

"Well," Mason, the eldest of the cousins, spoke up, "we should probably get going. The family is getting together for a cookout tomorrow at Grandma and Grandpa's house. You three should come."

Mary nodded with a smile. "Definitely, we'll see you then." She took a deep breath as her family members left the backstage area and made their way to the parking lot. She looked around to her friends, "so... what are we doing tonight?"

"Well, I'm beat," Alex yawned. "So I think that I'm going to turn in early."

The sisters rolled their eyes, turning to the rest of their friends.

Randy shook his head, "we just wanted to see how you were doing. We need to get going."

"All of you?" Mary pouted.

"Mary don't," Ted chuckled nervously, swallowing hard.

She sighed, shooing them off, "fine go."

"You can come hang out with me, ladies," Phil said after the other three men left.

AJ raised her eyebrow, "no alone time?"

"Colt will be there, I'm going into town to hang out with him," Phil chuckled.

Mary grinned, bouncing up and down. "I'm in!"

"Miss him, huh?" Phil smirked. "What would John-boy say?"

Mary rolled her eyes, "if he had a problem with me making friends with guys, we would never get together."

Later in the night, the girls and Phil were sitting in Scott Colton's apartment. They each had a couple of sodas and the girls found themselves in giggle fit after giggle fit from the caffeine buzz mixed with the bag of Pixie Stix they had shared. Mary had a strange feeling from her brief encounter with the best friend she shared with John Cena. Ted's reaction almost gave them away, but Randy had ordered the other two to come with him, as if they were still doing the whole Legacy thing. Not wanting to get worked up over what could have been, Mary decided to have fun and enjoy the company she was with at that point in time. Chelsea almost questioned, but AJ was able to stop her, letting her know that it was best for her older sister to just not think about it at the time.

The group was just having fun, chatting and listening to music. Sometimes they would playfully play out and/or sing along to whatever song happened to be playing. At one point, Mary couldn't help but let everyone in the WWE Universe know exactly what was going on. So she pulled out her phone, getting on Twitter, looking to poke fun at one of her friends.

MaryWilliamsWWE: Having an #nkotb jam session with WWEAJLee CMPunk ColtCabana and the little sister in Chi-town.

MaryWilliamsWWE: Also, CMPunk knows all five steps. If you know, you know.

"So you publicly get on me for knowing one song, but you don't even mention how you just practically battled with Colt on 'Never Gonna Fall in Love Again'?" Phil scoffed as he looked at his mentions moments later.

Mary shrugged as Colt laughed, "it could be because I'm proud of knowing boy band songs." The other Chicago native teased his best friend.

"Either that, or John-boy is a tad more of the jealous type than what she'd like to admit," Phil smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Phil!" AJ hit him in the arm.

"Ow, hey... you do hit hard," Punk rubbed his arm.

Mary sighed, shrugging as she sat back. "I haven't heard from him all week. For all I know, he worked things out with Liz, and they are going to stay together."

"So..." Colt thought through what he had just heard, "you've got something going on with John Cena on the road," he pointed to Mary, who nodded. "But he's married, so he went home after Extreme Rules presumably to file for a divorce, so he can be with you legitimately?"

Mary nodded, "I even got him the time off so he could take the trip."

"You can't just assume that he's back with her, Mary," Colt sighed. "There is always more to the story if you're willing to take the time to see it."

Mary smiled softly, looking over to AJ with a yawn. "I guess you're right. I'm just scared after everything that's been going on. I've had a really long seven months."

"And I think that it's just about your bed time, baby," AJ giggled, standing up slowly.

"What did you just call her?" Phil blinked, not having seen the girls together much.

Mary laughed as she stood up, "ah yes, this is probably one of the things you should be filled in on before you two get serious. See AJ and myself... we're close."

"How close?" Colt smirked from across the room as he helped Chelsea to her feet.

"Fake lesbi close," Mary nodded with a smirk.

AJ nodded, "we're just extremely comfortable with each other, and it's fun putting on a little show for the guys every once now and then."

Colt chuckled, shaking his head. "I really miss working with you guys. It sounds like you've been having a blast behind the scenes lately."

Mary nodded, "yeah, you can say that."

"You girls going to be okay?" Phil frowned a little.

"Yeah, we're catching a cab to our hotel. We'll be fine." Mary smiled at the WWE Champion, "I'll take good care of her for you."

He nodded with a pout as Colt walked the girls to the door, "there should be cabs right outside. There is a bar around the corner. Have a good night."

"Thanks for having us," Mary grinned as she hugged Colt and kissed his cheek. "We need to do this more often."

The girls got to their hotel without any problem and settled into their room. After Mary and AJ got ready for bed, Chelsea hopped into the shower. Once they heard the water turn on, AJ sat down on one of the beds with Mary.

"Talk," AJ took the older girl's hand.

Mary sighed, looking down as she squeezed her friend's hand, "I just... something was off when we saw Randy and the other guys after the show tonight."

AJ frowned, "what do you mean?"

"I think that they're keeping something from me. This hasn't happened to me before. At least not with them. What if Randy has talked to John, and he knows exactly why I haven't heard from him myself?" Mary swallowed hard, fighting back tears.

"Mary, you can't assume that the reason they didn't want to hang out with us had anything to do with John. It will only drive you crazy," AJ ran her fingers through the other girl's hair, pulling the covers around them.

"You're right, it could have been something completely different. Maybe they're working on setting Ted up with someone and didn't want to involve me yet," Mary laughed softly as the tears finally began rolling down her cheeks.

"It could have been a number of things, Mare. Maybe they're planning something awesome for you when John comes back. Like maybe he got you a cool gift of something," AJ held her friend close.

Mary nodded, "I just want some sleep now."

…

May 7th, 2012 – Monday Night RAW.

About a hour before the show was about to begin, AJ cornered Randy in a hallway with a very angry look on her face.

Randy sighed, "hello April, what can I do for you this evening?"

"Not funny, Randy," AJ poked his chest emphatically. "She's not stupid, you know."

"I assume you're speaking of Mary," Randy wiped his face, looking down at her finger.

"No shit! She thinks that you're keeping something from her," AJ frowned.

Meanwhile...

Mary ran into Ted outside the locker room area and grabbed his arm before he got a chance to escape into men's locker room.

"Mare Bear..." he pleaded with her.

"Don't do this to me now, Teddy Bear. Plus, you know damn well I wouldn't hesitate following you in there," she dug her perfectly manicured nails into his forearm.

Ted looked into his former girlfriend's eyes as the physical pain she was causing him brought up the emotional pain from their past. He nodded, biting his lip. "Just let me go get Cody."

She sighed, nodding as she let him go. "Make it quick."

Ted nodded and ducked into the locker room. He found Cody and held out the arm that had four crescent shaped lines pressed into it. "We've got a situation."

Cody sighed, "let's go."

Moments later the two men emerged from the locker room, Cody immediately wrapped his arms around Mary. "I'm sorry, Mare," he whispered.

She roughly pushed him away, her blue eyes turning black from anger. "Would one of you mind telling me what exactly you're sorry for?"

"We don't actually know, Mare Bear," Ted hesitantly brought a hand to her shoulder.

"But we can take you to Randy," Cody continued. "He knows, and he may know where John is."

Mary nodded, running her fingers through her hair. "Fine."

Just as they walked up to Randy, AJ was looking like she was about two seconds from smashing the man's head into the wall.

"I don't know what to tell you, AJ. This should really stay between John and Mary," Randy sighed.

"Maybe you can say that, but you're not the one who's been holding her in your arms the past few nights as she cries herself to sleep because she's fearing the worst," the tiny Diva lunged herself at the much larger man, only to be caught by John, who had appeared out of no where.

"Whoa girl," John sighed as he set her down. "Maybe I should get a chance to speak before we go attacking anyone."

"John?" Mary bit her lip as she walked up to AJ's side.

"Mary?" John blinked, not expecting her to be there. "I am so sorry, baby. I didn't mean to leave you hanging like that."

"Well..." Mary took a deep breath, "you've got about thirty seconds to explain yourself before I sic my girlfriend on you."

John winced as he nodded. He didn't particularly like the idea of sharing Mary with AJ, but he was in no position to argue in that moment. "I didn't warn Liz that I was coming home. So when I got there, she had someone over. She was fucking another man in my bed. I just needed a little time to process everything."

As she watched the look on John's face, Mary went pale. She slowly backed away, shaking her head. "I fucking knew it..."

"Mare, I..." John took a step toward Mary, but was blocked by AJ.

"I knew this was too good to be true!" Mary huffed as she turned and walked away in the other direction.

"What just happened?" John blinked.

AJ shook her head, "you just made her worst fear come true. You may want to keep your distance for now."

Cody looked over to Ted, who was now leaning up against the wall with a blank expression on his face. "Dude?"

Ted shook his head, "I've only seen that look on her face once before, and it was over fifteen years ago."

"Fifteen years ago?" John asked as the others sighed, looking away.

"I was the one who saved her from more damage than what that asshole already caused that night, John. He was literally about to go for more when I walked in. The fact that you just showed that you cared about what Liz did to you broke Mary," Ted shook his head as he turned to follow Mary with Cody right behind him.

"What? You're not going, too?" John scoffed at Randy.

The other man shook his head, "she's in good hands. I'm your best friend. I want to be here for you."

"And you?" John turned to AJ.

The young Diva took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "I have no experience with heartbreak, John. Mary's heart was just broken by her first love, and that's just something I don't know how to deal with." She bit her lip as she walked off in the other direction.

…

That night Mary had a match with Beth Phoenix. In storyline, Mary was still in a feud with Beth and Natalya, so that was perfect for the way Mary was feeling that night. As the two women approached the gorilla position, Beth looked over to Mary, tilting her head.

"Hey, everything okay?" Beth asked, truly concerned.

Mary shook her head, panting softly as she ground her teeth.

The other woman nodded, "hey, you can take it on out me. It looks like you are about to rip someone's head off. I'm more than willing to handle whatever you need to dish out."

"Thanks Beth," Mary took a deep breath. "I know that the person I'm upset with can take it, as well. But I'm in love with him, so at the same time, I don't want to harm him."

Beth smiled, "ah, guy trouble. I'll sell you sending him a message and take the hard hits. Its not a problem."

The match that proceeded that conversation was by far the most violent Divas match the WWE Universe had witnessed in a long time, or possibly ever. Both women were covered with welts, and Beth had blood dripping from her lip as Mary hit her new finishing maneuver that she called "Best Regards". It started out like the "RKO", but turned into a rougher looking version of the "Cross Rhodes", but that was only because she hit it faster. All of Mary's friends were watching the match from the back in horror. Little was said until the match ended. John was at the back of the group, his face having gone completely pale.

After the competitors had been out of the ring for a few minutes, Nattie approached the group. "AJ? Kaitlyn? Could you two come to the Diva's locker room with me?"

"Can you please at least tell us if they're okay, Nattie?" Randy sighed.

Nattie just smirked as she pulled the other Divas away, not saying a word. Once AJ and Celeste entered the locker room with Nattie, they were greeting by a laughing Beth and Mary.

"Message sent, bitches!" Beth high fived Mary. It was common in the WWE for on-screen rivals to end up friends over time. It was the on-screen chemistry that John and Randy shared that not only kept their feud going on as long as it had, but it was ultimately what caused them to become best friends in the long run. The same thing had happened Mary, AJ, and Celeste, and the duo known as the "Divas of Doom".

"Let's see them take us for granted after that," Mary stood up, walking over to AJ and Celeste. "Sorry I didn't let you in on that. Beth and I literally talked it out right before walking through the curtain."

"Hey," Celeste shrugged, "so long as you're both okay, we're good."

"Are you kidding?" Mary laughed, "I feel so much better now."

"Too bad he doesn't," AJ sighed.

"You may as well tell us who I just took that beating for," Beth sighed. "It'll stay between us."

"Just the five us? I don't exactly trust some of the other girls," Mary laughed.

"Yes, just us," Nattie brought an arm around the other girl. "So tell us who hurt you and how mad we should be at him."

Mary smiled softly, "John Cena, but take it easy on him. I'm just upset that he's actually upset that he caught his wife with someone else when he went home to divorce her to be with me."

"Hey," Beth walked up to her other side, "heart ache is heart ache. If it affects you, it affects all of us."

Mary nodded, "thanks. I guess this means we can all get a little more aggressive in the ring now. It's about damn time we send a message to the guys in the other locker room."

The five Divas all cheered in unity, loving the idea of getting more air time by doing something other than flirting with one of the guys. They disbanded long enough to get dressed and all left together, only to see Cody and Ted waiting outside for Mary, as well as Tyson Kidd waiting for Nattie.

Mary just smirked as she walked passed them. When Nattie walked by, she kissed Tyson on the cheek. "Do me a favor and cover for us, babe? We're all cutting out early."

"All of you," Ted blinked.

"Uh-oh," Tyson shook his head. "Looks like they're gonna have a girl's night."

"Yeah, we're done here," Beth shrugged.

Ted waved them off with a sigh, "just go before Lauranitis catches you." He turned to Mary, "you better call one of us later."

"No problem, Teddy Bear. See you tomorrow," Mary smiled, blowing him a kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

**Warning: Starting with this chapter, things start getting a tad bit on the racy/steamy side at times. However, I am letting everyone know straight up, right now that I will never write a full on sex scene. It has nothing to do with my comfort level. Rather, this isn't that type of story. What I do write is more about the emotion of the actions. Otherwise, I'll be treating love/sex scenes like a PG-13 movie, or non-HBO type cable.**

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**For those reading this after February 15th, I would just like to let you know that I have decided that starting at this point, "My Happy Ending" is over. This is officially the beginning of "MHE2: A Series of Unfortunate Events". Part three of this trilogy is in a whole new post called "If You're Gonna Jump". I hope that's not too confusing!**

* * *

After the show, the guys didn't go for their normal night cap. Instead, Randy, Cody, and Ted gathered in one hotel suite as John sat in a corner, silent with a blank expression on his face. The others occupied themselves with video games and a couple movies. TJ Wilson, better known as Tyson Kidd, had even spent a couple of hours with them, watching a movie as they waited up, seeing as how his girlfriend was hanging out with the girl they were all waiting to hear from. He didn't understand why John was so visibly upset, but he also knew it wasn't his business to ask.

At around 2:30 AM Randy sighed, looking over to Ted. "Isn't two the universal closing time? She did say that she'd call one of us to check in, right?"

Ted took a deep breath, nodding. "Just give them time to actually get in and separate. I mean, for all we know, she and AJ are..."

Randy coughed loudly, looking over to John.

"Kidding!" Ted looked over to John apologetically. "That probably wasn't the best joke to insert there."

John shrugged, speaking up for the first time that night. "AJ has a better chance with her than I do right now. They're probably having some sort of freaky threeway with Punk, or something."

"I highly doubt that Mary would actually..." Cody started, but was cut off by the sound of Ted's phone ringing.

Ted smiled softly, shaking his head. "It's her." He walked across the room from the other men, sitting down on a bed. "So how was your night, Mare Bear?" he answered the phone sleepily, putting her on speaker phone.

"_Ha ha, Teddy Bear. You can't possibly be sleeping. You're waiting up for me, and you're probably not alone,_" Mary slurred a bit into the phone, pretending to be drunk.

"Ah, so you're drunk. You know that you forgot to let us know that you are friends with Beth and Nattie now. We actually took your match seriously tonight," Ted chuckled softly with a fake yawn.

"_Oops,_" she giggled, rolling over and accidentally falling off her bed. "_Fuck it all to hell! That kinda hurt. Oh well,_" she laughed, getting back up onto the bed.

"Did you just fall off of your bed, Mare?" Ted raised an eyebrow.

"_Yes, right onto my shoulder that made friends with a ring post earlier. Why can't John be here right now? I need someone to kiss it better,_" she pouted.

"You're not with AJ tonight?" Ted blinked, looking over to John who's expression had finally changed into a hopeful one.

"_Nope! We ran into Punker-Doodles in the hallway. They were getting all flirty and chatty. Which made me all pouty. So I left them. We actually got separate rooms tonight, anyway._" She paused, taking a deep breath, "_how is he?_"

Ted smiled softly, "well, he hasn't spoken much all night, but he does seem happy that you're not currently in AJ's arms."

"_You lose, Teddy Bear!_" Mary laughed, no longer sounding drunk. "_Hey Randy, hey Coddles. Not having too much fun without me, are you?_"

"Damn it," Ted laughed as Randy and Cody yelled "hi" to Mary in unison. "We've just been hanging out all night. None of us have even drank or anything."

"_Sucks to be you, then. But really... I just..._" she sighed. "_John, I know you can hear me. I know that I've hurt you in the past, but I do also know that it's not like you intentionally hurt me tonight. I just have this irrational fear that somehow just because a small part of you cares about Liz that I could lose you to her. I know that you're mine, though. You have been for like five years._"

"Oh look, he's smiling," Randy laughed.

"I'm officially jealous," Ted sighed.

"_Jealous of what exactly, Teddy Bear?_" Mary frowned.

"Of what you two have. I want that someday," Ted looked away from his friends.

"_You'll find it someday, honey. A guy like you has to find the perfect girl somewhere. And oh, hey John... I'm in 1230..._"

The other three men watched as John got up and made a beeline for the door. They all laughed as the door closed behind the oldest member of the group.

"Time for us to say 'good night', Mare," Randy called out in Ted's direction.

"_Okay guys, I love you. I'll see you at the arena._"

"Love you, Mary," the three men all said in unison before Ted ended the call.

Two minutes later there was a knock on Mary's door. She got up, straightening out her black camisole top before walking over to the door and opening it. She grinned, pushing her red plaid capri pajama pants down a bit. "I hope you're not always that quick."

He shook his head, picking her up by her waist with one arm. She instinctly wrapped her legs around him as she brought his arms around his neck. He took a step inside, closing the door behind himself. He didn't say anything as he carried her over to the bed. Without breaking the hold, he laid her down, his body crashing down with her's as their lips met in a feverish passion. Their tongues danced as she ran her hands along his back, pulling his shirt up. He chuckled softly as he slowly pulled away from the kiss, sitting up a bit and removing his shirt, tossing it aside. "You know that I'm not here for that, right?" he whispered, leaning down to kiss her once more.

She nodded, panting softly as she moved up to the pillows. She smiled as he laid beside her, facing her while propping himself up on his shoulder. "But you can't deny it's nice to get a taste every once in a while," she grinned.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. "As badly as I want you, it doesn't feel like the right time to make love to you yet."

She brought a hand to his cheek, "then this means we've officially entered the hard part."

"I have no problem being patient, Mary," he smiled, leaning down to kiss her again. "I want this to be just as special as you do."

"You may need to be a rock because my hormones have been screaming lately," she pouted as she returned the kiss.

He took a deep breath and sighed, "I can think of ways to hold you off."

"Sounds like you have a little experience in that area," she raised an eyebrow.

He nodded as he reached between their bodies, slowly running a hand up her clothed inner thigh. Just as he was reach the desired area he stopped, looking at her face. "Never with her, though," he admitted softly.

Mary nodded as she inhaled sharply. "John," she whimpered.

"Mary, look at me," he ordered.

She slowly looked into his eyes, biting her lip. She began to tremble a bit, but prayed that he hadn't noticed.

"I'm not going to give you any pleasure tonight," he gently brushed his fingertips where the seams of her pajama pants met. "Judging by how you're body is reacting, I don't think I should, either." He swallowed visibly as he moved his hand to her hip.

"I'm sorry, baby. I don't know what's wrong with me," she pouted.

"No Mary, it's fine." He kissed her softly. "I think that since you're finally mentally processing what had happened to you it's effecting your emotions. Add that to how strong our feelings are for each other, and it may as well be like you're a teenage virgin on prom night."

Mary giggled at the analogy, nodding. "That did just feel like the first time that I had been touched by that. Moreso than the actual first time with Ran-"

John cut her off with a kiss, laughing. "How about you not talk about your sex life with our best friend when we're in bed together?"

"Sorry baby," she slipped her arms around him once more. "So I guess we get some sleep?"

He nodded, "I have a signing in the morning, and I'm sure you have to be at SmackDown even though you probably don't have a match."

"Yeah," she yawned, "I think that I have a match to film for Superstars, though."

"Are you going to be okay for that?" he kissed her injured shoulder.

"I'm more worried about my tailbone after one of those takedowns Beth administrated on me," she sighed, shaking her head.

He shook his head, "you two were insane out there tonight. I believe that you raised the bar for the rest of the Divas."

"Good," she buried her face into his chest. "That was the intention."

He smiled, kissing the top of her head as he securely wrapped his arms around her. "Get some sleep, baby. I love you."

"Mhm," she mumbled as she fell asleep. She was more at peace and comfortable in his arms than she had ever felt in her life. Despite the fact that she still couldn't actually bring herself to tell him how she felt, she hoped that she could fall asleep in his arms every night for the rest of her life.

…

May 8th, 2012 – SmackDown Tapings.

Ever since Mary had come out with the story of the assault against her, everyone on the WWE staff, not just the Superstars and Divas, were understanding of Mary's somewhat emotional behavior. It wasn't so much that she was being treated differently, but rather everyone knew that there was a reason, so she was left to do whatever she wanted most of the time. She made it very clear to her coworkers that she hadn't fully dealt with the situation, so there would be times that she would just need to be left alone. That night, she decided to find a place where she could sit and watch as everyone filed in for the show, but not necessarily be seen herself.

Curious as to what state he would find his female best friend in, Randy went off in search of Mary after getting into his ring gear. Once he found her, he smiled, shaking his head. "You always did like people watching."

"I think he told me that he loves me as I was falling asleep," she stated in a soft tone, not turning to look at Randy.

He sighed, looking down, "it happened again, didn't it?"

She slowly turned to look at her ex, not noticing that someone else was approaching them, "I didn't freeze up like I had with you, but the nerves were definitely there. Seriously, I'm feeling like a virgin. This is crazy."

"Whoa, I have a feeling I probably shouldn't have just heard that," Stephen stopped in his tracks, merely feet away from the best friends who were obviously having a personal conversation.

"No, it's okay, honey," Mary sighed.

The Irishman nodded, stepping to the side of the Diva and brought an arm around her. "There is nothing written anywhere that everyone should always feel exactly the same way in any given situation."

She smiled, "I know, it just sucks."

"I'm sure John is being very understanding about it, lass," he gave her a little squeeze.

"He's actually the one who suggested we wait a little longer. There was no intention of doing anything last night. We were just talking after making out and his hand started to wander, then I choked," she shrugged.

"You are not the same girl I dated," Randy shook his head as he sat on her other side.

"Well, I'm not your toy anymore, Orton. I'm the next Misses John Cena," she grinned.

Stephen chuckled as a stagehand walked up to them. "Your script, Ms. Williams."

"Thanks," Mary took the sheets of paper, looking them over. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she rolled her eyes.

"What is it, Mare?" Randy blinked as she hopped of the equipment box she had been sitting on.

"Just... Go get Cody. I have to go kill someone," she shook her head, heading toward the locker room area.

Mary searched the entire backstage area for about ten minutes before finding Zack. She shoved the papers into his chest. "Please tell me you had nothing to do with this."

Zack took her script, looking it over. He shook his head, "I didn't say anything. I swear."

"Well someone had to. This is totally unnecessary," she sighed as Randy walked up, Cody beside him.

"He was actually looking for you," Randy sighed.

"They just had us break up a month ago. Why would they be just throwing us back into this?" She ran her fingers through her hair.

Before anyone got a chance to respond, AJ and Celeste walked up with Curt Hussey, who was known in the ring as Johnny Curtis.

"Do they have you and Cody possibly getting back together, Mare?" AJ sighed.

"Yeah, I guess that I'm not crazy enough for their liking," Mary groaned.

"Well..." Celeste motioned to Johnny. "They're pairing me up with him and want him to start being more narcissistic and egomaniacal."

"And..." AJ paused, grinding her teeth. "I'm going going back and forth between Punk, Bryan, _and_ Kane over the next couple of months."

Randy shook his head, "Jesus Christ, you've got to be fucking kidding me."

"Oh that's just great, is this what we're doing for PG drama now?" Mary sighed. "Let's turn three of the Divas crazy and see what they'll do?"

"It may get us more air time, but definitely not more ring time. I don't know if I like this, guys," AJ pouted.

Randy took a deep breath, "okay, how about this? All of you just go with what you're given every night for now. If at any time you don't like something they want you to do, speak up. If you don't feel comfortable speaking up, you can come to me. I am more than willing to handle it for you."

Everyone nodded and disbanded, getting ready for the show. Mary followed Cody, taking his hand as they walked down the hall.

Cody sighed, "I don't know about this, Mare."

"If you don't want to do it, just tell me. We can turn them down. I don't exactly need the confusion right now. I've got enough going on," she bit her lip.

He stopped, stepping aside to the wall. He looked around and leaned in, "I'm not over completely over you, Mary."

She bit her lip, taking a deep breath. "You know that I'm with John now."

"I know, I know. What's worse is..." he sighed, looking away.

"No tell me, Cody. Just get it out," she held onto his wrists.

"I'm sort of seeing... Chelsea," he swallowed hard, looking into the eyes of his on-screen ex-girlfriend.

"My sister?" Mary shrieked, her eyes going wide, letting him go.

"Yes," he took a deep breath. "It's still new. Nothing serious. Nothing has happened yet. We were just waiting for the right time to tell you."

"Well now we're going to have to sit down and talk to her. I can only imagine where this line can go, and I'm not so sure she fully understands," she leaned against the wall.

He nodded, "preferably tonight. Who knows how far this can go and how quickly."

"Yeah," she sighed, "on the bright side, it looks like Cody Rhodes is going to show a little compassion tonight."

"It won't last. I think that it's a little more about the possession. Just like the title, I think he's obsessed with something that used to be his. In some sort of sick, twisted way... I think it's love," he shrugged.

Mary giggled as a stage hand came up to them.

"Excuse me, Cody. You need to get ready for your backstage segment."

Cody nodded and Mary hugged him tightly. "And stop talking about yourself in the third person."

Cody laughed as he walked away, "have fun tonight. I'll see you later."

In a segment being filmed for later in the night, Cody was walking down the hall. He was stopped by Matt Stryker.

Cody just shook his head, a sneer on his face.

"Cody, if I may? Mary Williams has been showing more and more signs of aggression over the past few months in the ring. Culminating to her match with Beth Phoenix just four nights ago on RAW. Have you been paying attention to her matches, and if so do you have any comments?"

"You just stopped the Intercontinental Champion to ask him about the girl, who just over a month ago took this belt," he hit the title belt on his waist to exemplify his point, "and hit me over the head with it to break up with me?" He sighed, shaking his head. "I have been paying some attention, and I guess that the only thing I can say is that I miss her. Mary is a special girl, and I was a fool to treat her the way that I did."

"A fool? That's all you've got to say?" Billy Alexander walked into the view of the camera.

"Oh, like it's any better than the you've been treating her?" Cody shot back. "You wouldn't even getting any matches if it weren't for her. You need her, but I am doing everything on my own."

"Maybe now, but just remember, you're famous for getting kicked in the head by Randy Orton and following him around like a little puppy dog. We've all got to start somewhere," Billy shrugged.

"So you're okay with your sister taunting, teasing, and flirting with basically every guy in the locker room? Do you even care about what that makes her look like?" Cody shouted, lunging for the older man.

Just as a fight was about to break out, John Lauranitis showed up, pulling them apart. "If you two really want to fight so badly, why don't you settle this in the ring later tonight?"

The men agreed, slowly backing away from one another.

…

Later in the night, just as the match was about to start, Mary was shown pacing in the hall on the Titan Tron. The interviewer behind the camera stopped her. She bit her lip, looking into the camera.

"Any comments on the match that is about to take place?"

Mary sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "What can I say?" She pushed away, disappearing down the hall.

Just as the match was gaining some momentum, Mary slowly walked down the ramp. The look on her face was indescribable as she stood at ringside, just watching the match. She was in her ring gear, so the bruises from the match she had on Monday night were in full view. Her right shoulder was slightly reddened and swollen, her left wrist had a few purple marks on it, her right thigh had a mark just above the knee, and the biggest bruise of all was on her stomach. Despite the physical marks from her battle, she was showing no pain what-so-ever.

"And there she is," Booker T sighed, "the reason for this match."

"I'm almost afraid to even think of what's going through her mind right now, Booker," Josh Matthews continued.

"At this point, I believe it all comes down to who she chooses, guys," Michael Cole pointed out.

"This is true," Booker T nodded, "that could very well decide the outcome of this match. Her body is showing the effects from Monday night's match up with Beth Phoenix, but she is not showing the pain at all. Her eyes are telling a completely different story. There is only one of two things on the mind of Mary Williams right now, and that is either revenge on Cody Rhodes for months of an abusive relationship, or possible forgiveness."

"I really hope that it's not the latter," Josh Matthews sighed.

"You really have a special relationship with Mary, don't you Josh?" Michael Cole chuckled.

"She's one of few people who actually seems to like to be interviewed by me. Why wouldn't I like her?" Josh shrugged.

The other two men on commentary just laughed as they looked up to see Cody knock Billy over on the opposite side of the ring from where Mary was standing. Knowing he had a couple of minutes, Cody walked over to the ropes. "Can't we just talk about this, Mary? I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything."

Tears filled Mary's eyes as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger. She didn't say anything as she watched Billy get up out of the corner of her eye.

"Maybe this is it, guys," Josh Matthews stated somewhat excitedly seeing Billy get up for the surprise attack.

Billy ran up behind Cody, clotheslining him over the top rope. Since Mary knew it was coming, she was able to jump out of the way right in time.

Mary knelt beside Cody, reaching down and caressing his face and running her fingers along his short hair affectionately. The entire arena fell silent in anticipation as a sadistic smile crossed Mary's face when Cody opened his eyes. She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips before tilting her head and looking at him with her blue eyes glazed over in tears. She got up, not saying anything as she walked back up the ramp and back behind the curtain.

Cody slowly stood up, looking at the entrance ramp and running his hand along his lips. He was so stunned by what had just happened that he hadn't noticed that the referee had counted to ten. It was a couple of more minutes before he silently walked up the ramp, making his own exit. After he made his way to the locker room, he saw Mary across the hall with the same blank expression on her face.

"Mare?" he started softly, hesitantly walking up to her. "The cameras are gone. What's going on?"

"I think I'm falling apart," she whispered before picking her bag up and leaving the arena.

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**Yes, a cliffhanger. Don't worry, the next part will be coming very soon!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry it's been a tad longer than usual between updates. I've been working on a bio for Mary so that everyone can get a slightly deeper look into her. It's not 100% finished, but I think that it tells more about her than what this story has so far. You can check it out at the link found in my profile since it doesn't want to work here.**

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For what seemed like a half hour, Mary laid across the hood of her rental car, just looking up at the night sky. She felt bad for leaving Cody hanging like that, but for some reason kissing him set off a spark inside of her mind that she couldn't quite explain. She knew that she wasn't finding herself attracted to her long time friend. It was more of the fact that she could sense that she was on the brink of an actual emotional breakdown, and she didn't know how to deal with it. She eventually pulled out her phone and responded to a few tweets and texts. The last text she came across was from Randy, asking where she was. She sighed as she hit reply, shaking her head.

"Still here. Sitting outside in the parking lot."

Not but two minutes after she had hit send and went back to looking through her Twitter mentions, she heard someone approaching her. She turned her head, only seeing the figure of the person walking up to her. She knew a few of her co-workers by body type, and she knew this silhouette at first glance. She didn't say anything as she looked up at the sky once more.

"Damn girl," he chuckled, shaking his head. He took out his phone with a grin, "don't move."

"Gonna take a picture and send it to John?" she smirked.

"Fuck yeah," he snapped the picture, the flash momentarily lighting up the section of the parking lot they were in. "You looking like that almost makes me want to forget Sam." He sent the picture to John, along with a text, "someone is star gazing after kissing another man."

She propped herself up on her elbow, shaking her head. "You'd never do that to John. I mean, if we followed storyline and Cody and I had actually gotten together, I could see you stealing me from him and cheating on your wife with me in heartbeat."

"No comment," he laughed softly as he reached the car and leaned against the hood. "I'm actually almost surprised that hasn't happened."

"What? You cheating on Sam with me?" Mary frowned.

"Mare?" he raised an eyebrow.

"You have, Randy. I just..." She took a deep breath, sighing heavily. "I had a feeling you didn't remember because you were so wasted. So I just never said anything. It stopped maybe a few months before she got pregnant with Alanna," she shrugged.

"I must have really been out of it if I don't remember fucking you while I was married," Randy shook his head, wiping his face.

"I did it to protect you from the ring rats," she sighed, sitting up and wrapping her arms around her best friend from behind. Her mother was a ring rat, so she knew exactly what they could be like. The last thing she wanted for Randy was to get tangled up in the web of some slut.

"I'm so sorry, Maryanne. You know I would never use you like that had my head been on straight." He paused, biting his lip, "at the same time, better you than them. Who knows what would have happened if I had hooked up with a random fan."

"Sam would have left you, you may have never had Al, you may be paying child support to some gold digging bitch, and John would probably still be in a miserable marriage," she shrugged, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Wait... why would John still be with Liz?" he turned his head to look at her.

"Because if you had fucked up your marriage five years ago, you and I would probably be together right now. So I wouldn't have given John a push to leave her, because he and I would have never dated in the first place," she shrugged as she looked over to a dark corner. "Oh shit..." she whispered, knowing that she saw someone in the distance. "Who's there?" she called out, her face going pale.

Randy's eyes went wide as he immediately got up and ran into the direction that Mary was just looking in. His temper had flared up, and there was no way Mary could handle him. She pulled up her text message editor and quickly sent a message to Cody, Ted, Stephen, Rey, Zack, Alex, AJ, and Celeste.

"911 in the parking lot."

She ran her fingers through her hair after hitting send. The show was over, so it was just a matter of who was showered and ready to go. The guys, minus Alex, came out together in less than a minute. Not having time to explain, she just simply said Randy's name and pointed into the direction he had ran off into. They all had known Randy long enough to have experienced his temper, and knew they would have to find him as soon as possible. Moments later her brother and the girls came out to see the rest of the guys running off in search of Randy.

AJ immediately wrapped her arms around the older girl, Celeste following suit. "What happened?," the tiny brunette frowned.

Mary swallowed visibly, "Randy and I were having a very private conversation and I saw someone in the distance, obviously listening in."

"How private?" Celeste winced.

"Well, let's see..." Mary bit her lip as she saw the guys returning in the distance. "I admitted to him that he cheated on his wife with me when he was so wasted that he had absolutely no clue what he was doing so that he wouldn't hook up with some ring rats. Then I told him that had I not stepped in, and if he had screwed up his marriage that I believed that we may be together now." She got everything in before the other guys were close enough to hear, which was a good thing, because she really didn't want all of them knowing that.

"We got him," Ted announced, holding onto one of Randy's arms as they lead him back to Mary.

"Which wasn't an easy thing, lemme tell ya lass," Stephen continued from his other side.

"Thanks guys," Mary sighed. "So did you find anyone?"

Randy shook his head, "whoever it was is going to be in a world of hurt if we ever do find them."

"Maybe I was just seeing things. Maybe no one was there, and no one heard what I said," Mary bit her lip.

"And if there was someone, and they recorded it?" Randy sneered.

Mary looked down for a moment, "then I suggest you get on the next plane to St. Louis to tell Sam everything before someone else may get the chance to. Everyone else do us like the hugest favor and keep your ears and eyes open for someone who is acting like they may know something they shouldn't. This is well... it's sort of life ruining big," she bit her lip.

Zack, Stephen, and Rey nodded. They didn't even appear in the least bit curious as to what it was. They knew that they weren't extremely close to Randy nor Mary, so there were boundaries that they knew to not cross. They hugged each of the girls and shook the guys hands before wishing them luck and leaving to go to their hotels for the night.

Once they were gone, tears began to spill down Mary's face, which caused AJ to hug her close. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK! What about John? What am I going to tell him?"

"You're in the same boat I am right now, Maryanne," Randy sighed. "Honesty is the best route."

Mary nodded as Phil walked up, "ah, there's my girl... hey... what's going on here?" He asked, genuinely concerned for the woman he considered a friend.

"We were just about to ask the same thing," Ted stated as he and Cody both crossed their arms over their chests.

Mary took a deep breath, "I saw someone in the shadows as Randy and I were having a extremely personal conversation that could be easily be taken horribly out of context and the fact that we were looking questionably cozy while doing so didn't really help matters."

Phil nodded, "well if you need anything, you know that you can count on me."

Mary smiled through her tears, "thanks Phil."

"Any time. Now could I possibly have our girlfriend, or do you need her?" Phil smirked.

Mary laughed, shaking her head, "I'm going to be leaving with Cody, and after we take care of some business, he'll be delivering me to John."

The WWE Champion grinned as he took AJ's hand, pulling her away from Mary and into a deep kiss. Which got some playful heckling from the group. Punk just laughed, waving them off as he and AJ left for the night.

Once they were gone, Randy took a deep breath. "Well, I should get going."

"Maybe Ted should go with you?" Mary bit her lip.

"I know how to book a flight on my own, Maryanne," her ex rolled his eyes.

"That may be true Randy, but we know you. You're likely to assault someone if they can't give you something within the hour," Mary tilted her head with one of the most serious looks any of them had seen on her face.

Randy nodded, "you know me too well."

Ted nodded, patting Randy's shoulder. "Come on, I'll make sure both of our schedules are cleared for a couple of days."

After they both hugged Mary tightly and said good bye to Cody, Alex, and Celeste. Alex then turned to his older sister, "and what sort of business do you have to attend to after hours with your on-screen ex?"

Mary smirked at Cody, who had started blushing, turning away. "Just before they decided it may be funny to put us back together, someone started seeing our little sister." Once the words escaped her mouth, Mary sensed her brother started to go toward her friend, which caused her to get up and place a hand on her brother's chest. "It's okay, Alex. Remember when he said that he's afraid of me? He's not going to do anything to hurt Chelsea."

Alex nodded, standing down. "I'm still going to keep my eye on you."

Cody swallowed hard, "understandable."

"So we should probably get going, Cody." She turned to look at Celeste and Alex, "I expect the two of you to behave."

…

Two hours and five ignored calls later Mary finally showed up at the hotel room that she and John were sharing for the night. Before she got a chance to slip her keycard into the slot, the door opened. She bit her lip, looking up at John. "Hey babe..."

"Don't you 'hey babe' me," John sneered. "Did you forget how to answer your phone, Maryanne? Do you have something that you need to be telling me?" He showed her his phone, which had the picture of her that Randy had taken earlier on screen.

Mary shook her head with a soft smile, "Cody is dating my sister and creative thinks that they're funny." She pushed past him, unfortunately on the side of her injured shoulder, which caused her to wince a bit as she made her way into the room.

John sighed, "haven't they put you through enough with him?" He closed the door, tilting his head a bit at his girlfriend, who had a very pained look on her face as she put her bag down and went to find her pajamas to change into. "Baby, are you sure you're alright?"

"Can I lie to you?" she sighed as she slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door partially opened.

John took the opening and pushed his way into the rather small room just as Mary pulled her shirt off carefully. He saw the bruise on her stomach, which caused him to wince. "Is it really smart to be putting your body through all of this?"

She traced around the bruise, "and if I told you that I turned that into a hardcore match so I wouldn't do worse to you?"

He blinked, "you know what I would have said. We could have kept that between us."

"Please," she scoffed. "If I would have started beating on you, our clothes would have been off in a matter of minutes." She shook her head as she attempted to get her jeans off with one hand, not caring horribly much if he saw her in the white cotton bra and panties with pink trim she was wearing. "I forgot how solid you are," she sighed.

He frowned, knowing that he had caused her physical pain when she had pushed passed him moments earlier. "No," he picked her up by her waist, carefully hoisting her onto the counter. "I would have let you get it all out. You know I have more respect for you than that," he said softly as he pulled her jeans down her legs carefully. He saw the bruise on her thigh and closed his eyes. "Anything else?"

"Physically? No," she shrugged.

He nodded, picking up her pajama pants and helped her into them then back onto her feet. "You want your bra off?"

"You don't get to play with them," she smirked.

"I won't even look," he shook his head, blushing a little. "I just want to help you."

She took a deep breath, nodding.

With the go ahead, he reached behind her back, unhooking the double hook with one swift movement. He looked into her eyes as he carefully pulled the straps down her arms so she wouldn't have to move her shoulder much. Once the constricting item of clothing had been removed, he picked up her camisole, his eyes not leaving her's as he helped her put it on. "Ready to go lay down?"

She sighed, fresh tears filling her eyes as she slipped her good arm around his waist. "You are too good to be true."

"No, I just love you enough to go at your pace," he shrugged as he lead her out of the bathroom, turning off the light before making their way to the bed where he gently laid her down. He crawled into the bed next to her, pulling the covers around them.

"Really? Because if um you had just made a move, I probably would have been all over it," she pouted playfully as she brought her arms around him.

He shrugged, kissing the top of her head. "Maryanne, just because you're not a virgin, that doesn't mean you're automatically ready for all comers, nor does the fact that I'm not either mean that we need to jump right into it. We don't have that type of relationship, anyway."

She nodded then bit her lip, knowing it was best to get things out straight away. "John..."

"Yeah, Mare?"

"Do you remember how Randy was before Alanna was born?"

"Yeah, of course."

"He cheated on Sam a few times. He was so wasted that he didn't even remember it the next day."

"Okay... so how do you know..." he pulled away from her a bit, looking into her eyes. "No..."

"John... it was either me or gold digging ring rats. It was before you and I tried anything."

"But you're his best friend. You were in his wedding. I know that you consider Sam a friend, as well."

"Baby, I know that I should have stopped him, but when he came at me like that it just brought all of the memories of how good we once had it physically. I got lost in the moment when he'd sp-" she blinked, shaking her head. "You asked me not to talk about that stuff last night. So I'll stop."

"Did he spear you onto beds?" John chuckled.

Mary nodded with a smirk. "Fast and rough. Some times all night."

"I'm not like that, Mary," he sighed.

"Good," she leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I got that out of my system years ago. I don't want something like that again. I want this, John."

"What if I can't satisfy you in the way that he did?"

"I hope that you don't," she stated matter of factly.

"What do you mean?" he blinked.

"Does this stay between us?"

"Of course, Maryanne. I wouldn't dream of breaking your confidence."

"He didn't always get the job done when we were doing the fun stuff," she shrugged. "Sure, it excited me, but it really just lacked something. Orgasms aren't all physical, you know."

He nodded with a smile, "I think that I get it now. You want something real."

"Something that I know that I won't eventually get bored with. Something that I can hold onto for the rest of my life."

"I love you, Maryanne Alexis Williams. With all of my heart and soul. I never plan on letting you go this time."

"I know, John. I..." she bit her lip, looking away.

"You don't have to say it, Mary," he gently cupped her chin and turned her head to face him again.

"It's just another thing I'm letting you down on, though," she pouted.

He shook his head and kissed her passionately. "You are not letting me down. Not in any way."

"So you really don't mind waiting?"

"I don't need sex, Maryanne. Just holding you at night is more than enough for me."

"It will happen, though," she smiled.

"When it's supposed to," he nodded, reaching up to turn off the lights.

"Life is good," she hugged him close to her body.

"Life is wonderful. Especially now that we're together." He kissed her once more before they began drifting off into sleep.

She hadn't told him about the fact that she admitted that she felt that if things were different for Randy that she'd be with him now instead of John. She didn't feel like it was important enough, and she had a feeling that Randy would be leaving that out of his confession to Sam, as well. She was happy with the way things had turned out, and she wasn't about to do nor say anything to possibly screw that up.

* * *

**Bomb, meet shell. And yes, a villain. Or well, possibly ;) Who will it be? Stay tuned to find out!**


	15. Chapter 15

May 14th, 2012 – Monday Night RAW.

Victoria Crawford, or Alicia Fox as she was known in the ring, was nervously making her way through the halls of the arena. The show was to start soon, but there was something that she needed to straighten out. She was asking around every time she ran into someone, but she didn't have luck until she ran into the WWE Champion himself.

"Oh...hey Punk," she bit her lip.

"Fox," he nodded.

"Say um... you possibly haven't seen Mary or Randy, have you?" she swallowed visibly.

Phil stroked his beard, "so it was you?"

"How many people know about it?" Alicia raised an eyebrow. "It sounded kinda personal to me."

"It was. All of their friends know that someone may have heard something that they shouldn't have. Most of us just don't know what," he took a deep breath, sighing. "It made Mary cry."

She bit her lip, "so I really need to find them. I'm not even sure what I heard."

He nodded, "I think that I know where Mary is. I think that you'll be safer if you face her first."

She nodded nervously, knowing how Randy could be.

"C'mon," he grinned, leading her to John's locker room.

Once they were there, Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Wait... She's with _this_ John?"

Punk shrugged, "I don't pretend to know exactly what's going on. They've sort of been slowly building something up for months, but that's all I really know for sure." He knocked on the door, taking a deep breath.

John answered the door, blinking. "What do you want?"

The champion motioned to the Diva next to him. "We've found the culprit."

Alicia waved nervously.

John opened the door a little more, stepping aside to let Alicia in. "Go ahead and go in. Mare's changing right now. You can talk to her first. I'll go get Randy." He left the room in search of his best friend.

Alicia swallowed hard as the door closed behind her. She decided to stand in the middle of the room silently until Mary came out.

"Who was that, babe?" Mary walked out into the main room, fixing her hair. She looked up, tilting her head. "Oh, hey Tori. What's up?"

Alicia took a deep breath, "Mary, it was me."

Mary's eyes went wide, the anger on her face very prevalent, "what exactly did you hear?"

The other Diva took a step back, holding her hands up in surrender. "I'm not exactly sure. All I could really make out was something about you hooking up with Randy after he was married, and how you didn't think you'd be with John right now if Randy had screwed his marriage up."

Mary took a deep breath, clenching her fists. "What will it take for you to pretend that you didn't hear any of that?"

"Nothing," Alicia stated simply. "Look, I like stirring up the pot when it's fun, but I can tell that this would not be fun in any manner, what-so-ever."

"John doesn't know about the latter. I'd rather him not know something that isn't really relevant," Mary bit her lip.

"Hey, from what everyone can tell, he went through some serious hell with his ex. The last thing he would need is doubt in his new relationship," Alicia nodded in understanding.

"John is the first person I've ever loved. I can't bear the thought of screwing it up. That was just supposed to be a conversation that Randy and I were going to laugh at and shrug it off. Just going back to our lives," Mary sighed as the door opened.

Alicia immediately positioned herself behind Mary, expecting Randy to not take things as well as Mary just had.

Mary took a deep breath, taking a protective stance in front of the other Diva. She bit her lip as she saw her former and current boyfriends enter the room.

John held Randy back as he closed the door. "Hey Randy look, Mary is protecting her right now. Doesn't that say something to you?"

Randy took a deep breath, nodding, "how much does she know?"

Mary swallowed visibly, "basically everything, but she's more than willing to forget it all."

"Yeah Randy, I'm really sorry. I didn't even mean to over hear any of that," Alicia winced from behind the older Diva.

Randy took a moment to compose himself, relaxing and looking down for a moment. "Can we trust you?"

"What would I have to gain from this?" Alicia peeked out from behind Mary. "I mean, no offense, but I'm not interested in either of you."

John chuckled as Randy sighed, "let her go, Mare. I need to talk to you and John."

Mary nodded, leading Alicia to the door, "good luck in your match tonight. You may just see me out there," the Mary winked before opening the door and nudging Alicia out of the room. She took a deep breath as she closed the door behind herself and looked to the men, biting her lip.

Randy ran his hand over his face, "so obviously things went well for you, Mare."

She shrugged, walking over to sit down, "he didn't leave me."

"How did Sam take it, man?" John looked to his best friend with worry.

"Not as well," Randy sighed.

Mary winced, "how bad? Should I talk to her?"

Randy shook his head, looking to each of his best friends, "I'm just not allowed at home for a while. You should probably keep your distance, too."

Mary smiled softly, "Marcus misses you, anyway."

"You sure that's the best idea, Mare?" John bit his lip.

"I was thinking both of you could come out, babe," Mary laughed.

Randy shrugged, "I'm sure Sam would take it better if you were there too, man."

John nodded, "this is true." He turned to Mary, "now did you just hint to Alicia that you'd be interfering in her match tonight?"

Mary giggled, "she's going against Beth. Unfinished business, you know."

"Oh that's right, you're still feuding with them," John shook his head.

"How long is that going to go on?" Randy laughed.

Mary shrugged, "who knows? Maybe they're trying to mirror the feud between you two."

…

May 20th, 2012 – Over the Limit.

Mary watched from backstage as John faced Lauranitis in one of the most entertaining matches she had ever seen. Earlier in the night she had made her presence known in both the Divas match as well as Cody's match in which he lost the title to Christian. In the Divas Championship match she established an on-screen friendship with Layla, seeing as how her intent was to distract Beth Phoenix. Cody's match was different, though. After the match was over, and Mary had disappeared behind the curtain, Cody grinned, shaking his head. In character, he was showing that he was enjoying the things that Mary was doing to him. No matter how sick and twisted it could turn out to be. Her heel persona was turning a different shade as she spent less and less time with her brother and more time torturing Cody.

Many of the Superstars and Divas were watching at the same monitor, the match effecting all of them. A lot of them sick of Lauranitis in and out of the ring. Everyone cheered as Big Show appeared, seeming to be there to help John. The pre-match stipulation had been if any of the group watching had interfered, they would be fired. However, Lauranitis had fired Big Show just six days earlier, so he had nothing to lose. To keep things realistic, not all of the Superstars and Divas were made aware of other's storylines. So they didn't know if Big Show's heel turn was entirely scripted or not.

When Big Show hit John with the "WMD" Mary gasped, covering her mouth. The look of worry on her face was real. AJ and Layla each wrapped an arm around the Diva. They all knew that scripted or not, that was one of the moves that really hurt. Layla didn't know about Mary and John yet, but Mary had just inadvertently made her feelings obvious to everyone in the room.

Cody stepped up behind Mary, gently rubbing her shoulders. "Hey, you know he's going to be fine."

Mary nodded, biting her lip. "Scripted or not, the big guy is eventually going to pay for that." She rubbed her hands together, the wheels in her head turning.

Everyone laughed and began to disband since the match was over. Only AJ, Cody, Randy, Stephen, Punk, Beth, and Layla were the only ones remaining with a still somewhat distraught Mary.

Layla smiled, kissing the side of Mary's head. "It was great working with you tonight. Have fun babying your man later tonight, love." The older Diva smirked as she hugged everyone else and left.

"Well, it's been great. Definitely interesting," Beth laughed. "I should get going, though," she waved to everyone and made her own exit.

Mary sighed, wrapping her arms around AJ. "I swear, I could feel that myself."

"That's how you know it's real love, lass," Stephen smiled.

"Which really helps me," Chelsea smirked as she walked up and slipped her arms around Cody's waist, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

Mary looked away, wincing, "how about you keep that to a minimum around me?"

"Sorry sis," Chelsea giggled. "So are we hanging out tonight?"

Randy shook his head, "I think we all need to get plenty of rest tonight."

Mary sighed, nodding, "Lauranitis is going to start running us all hard now that he's kept his job."

Stephen nodded, "unfortunately, that's very true. I'm going to head out everyone."

Everyone said goodnight to the Irishman before he left, preparing for whatever they had coming the next two nights.

"We're gonna get going to," AJ smiled.

Mary smiled, leaning into to peck the younger girl's lips. "Night baby." She looked up to Punk, "take care of her."

Punk smirked as he slipped an arm AJ and lead her away.

Randy cleared his throat, "and what exactly was that?"

Mary sighed, "it's helping Phil. He's... not exactly good with relationships. On some level, the thought that they're not exclusive helps him stay with her."

"Such a good friend," Cody chuckled, then turned to Randy. "You gonna stay with her until John's ready to go?"

Randy nodded, "go have fun. You deserve it."

Mary glared at Cody playfully. "Do I have to say it?"

Cody quickly shook his head as he walked backwards with Chelsea. "Great minds think alike, Mare," he winked.

Once they were gone, Mary sighed, turning to Randy.

"Do I have to remind you that he's going to be just fine?" he chuckled, slipping his arms around her.

Mary laid her head on Randy's chest, frowning as she returned the embrace. "I'm just not used to this feeling."

"We should head to his locker room. He's probably in there showering by now," Randy suggested.

"I just want to lay down for a while," Mary sighed.

…

When John finally finished in the shower, he walked out to the main part of his locker room, gathering his things. Just as he threw his bag over his shoulder two sheets of paper appeared under the door. He picked them up, looking at each of them. He shook his head in annoyance, crumpling them up and shoving them into his pocket. He pulled his phone out, dialing Randy's number.

"_Hey man, ready to go?_" Randy answered the phone in a hushed tone.

"Why are you so quiet?" John raised an eyebrow. "Is she with you?"

"_Yeah, my locker room was closer. The poor thing is exhausted. She fell asleep right after sitting down. That really can't be comfortable,_" Randy shrugged as he finished gathering his things. "_Do you have her stuff?_"

"Yeah," John sighed. "I'll be there in a minute."

"_Okay, I'll see you soon then,_" Randy yawned and ended the call.

John came up to Randy's locker room moments later, gently knocking.

Randy opened the door, letting his male best friend inside the room. "Hey," he motioned to the sleeping Mary.

John nodded, handing Randy Mary's bag. "I'll just carry her. Is she okay?"

Randy shrugged, "no worse than usual, I think."

John didn't respond as he walked over to where Mary was sleeping and gently scooped her up in his arms. She stirred a bit, making a soft noise. "It's just me, baby. We're going to the hotel." He kissed her forehead softly. John stayed silent the entire ride to the hotel and as they made their way up to the suite that the three of them would be sharing for that night. Something was on his mind, but he would wait to bring it up.


	16. Chapter 16

May 24th, 2012 – Mary's house in San Diego.

Mary, John, Randy, Cody, Chelsea, AJ, Punk, Celeste, and Alex sat outside in her backyard watching while Marcus, Dominik, and a few of their friends were playing in the pool. Unfortunately, Ted was unable to make it out to spend the day with his friends due to his injuries. As expected, Lauranitis had run everyone very hard during RAW and the SmackDown tapings that week, and the group was just looking forward to relaxing, even for just a day before heading out to do house shows for the weekend. It had been the first time Marcus had met his Aunt Chelsea, since she had been on the road with everyone for the past month, but it was his fifteenth birthday in a couple of days, and this was his party. So he would get to know his aunt another day.

The guys had worked the grill, which was just fine for Mary. She could do it, but she enjoyed watching her boyfriend and their friends try being all manly. It was getting Randy's mind off of the fact that Sam didn't want him around for the time being, so that was what really mattered in the end.

Just as the girls were laughing at something very inappropriate that they had hoped none of the guys, nor the kids had heard, the chorus of Brooke Hogan's "About Us" began playing from one of the phones on the table.

Phil turned his head, raising an eyebrow. "Someone has a Brooke Hogan ringtone?"

"Not exactly." Randy bit his lip, "Brooke is calling Mary."

John walked over to Mary, slipping his arm around her waist as she picked up her phone and began walking away from the group as she answered. "Hey girl, what's up?"

There was a soft sigh on the other end, "_yeah, I wish this was a random catch up call too, Mary._"

Mary closed her eyes, nodding. "So he's said something?"

"_Not exactly. This is the first time he's showed up to work in weeks,_" Brooke started and took a deep breath, "_anyone else would have been fired by now. Dad just decided to give him a little time, given the circumstances._"

"Thank him for me? I mean, I'm not exactly forgiving you know who, but fifteen years is a long time," she sighed, laying her head on John's shoulder.

Marcus noticed his mother and her boyfriend in the distance and walked over to Randy. "What's going on, Uncle Randy?"

"Your mom just got a call from Brooke Hogan, buddy. By the looks of it, it's not exactly a happy conversation," Randy sighed.

"Should I start asking my guests to leave?" the teenager bit his lip.

The older man shook his head, "your mom is strong. Plus, I know that she wants this for you. John can take care of her."

"Hey Uncle Randy..." Marcus took a deep breath.

"Yeah, kid?" Randy looked into the young man's eyes.

"What would you do if you were in my position? I mean, like if he wants to meet me or something? I don't know if I can exactly even look at him after what he did to my mom," Marcus swallowed hard.

"At the same time, you wouldn't even be here if he hadn't," Randy saw the look in the teenager's eyes and motioned for him to calm down a bit. "Look man, I know it's fucked up, but everything that is supposed to happen does. You are everything to your mom now. I know that she wouldn't want her life any other way now." Randy shrugged, "everything happens for a reason."

Marcus nodded, biting his lip. "Even my mom lying to John and practically forcing him to marry that cheating bitch before they could actually get together?"

Randy chuckled, "I'm sure there is a reason for that somewhere."

"So much for Marcus never having a father figure," Celeste smirked from a distance where the rest of the adults were looking back and forth from the conversation between Randy and Marcus and Mary talking to Brooke on the phone while John comforted her.

"Well, I know he calls Randy 'Uncle', just like me," Cody shrugged. "But I can see what you're saying. I've known him longer, but Marcus really bonded with Randy while he and Mary were together."

"I can see that possible void filled by a lot of you," AJ smiled. "Even Vince, but to be fair, Marcus did spend what... the first five or six years of his life with them?" she giggled.

"At least," Cody nodded, "I think she had been in OVW for at least a couple of years before getting a place of her own."

Just then, they all looked up to see Mary and John walking back to the group. They were holding hands, their fingers were laced, and her eyes were filled with tears.

"Mom?" Marcus walked up to him, a look of genuine concern in his eyes.

"She's fine, son," John nodded.

Mary saw the glare in her son's eyes and smirked. "He's right, Marcus. Go play with your friends. We'll talk later."

"Well, he's definitely got the family temper," Alex chuckled as his nephew walked back over to his friends.

Mary nodded with a sigh, "it's a freakin' curse."

"Okay Mary, the kid is gone," Randy crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm calling bullshit."

Mary nodded, taking a deep breath. "Soon after I told Brooke about John and I, Daniel entered Hulk's office, where she just happened to be while talking to me. I heard Brooke set down the phone on a desk as Daniel said that he knew that Brooke and I were friends, and that he wanted to talk to me." She paused, licking her lips with a small giggle, she hadn't realized that she had just said her former attacker's name twice, but she didn't care at the moment. "Anyway, Brooke said that she'd talk to me, but, and I quote, my _boyfriend_ John Cena would be with me if I went out there. I kid you not," she laughed softly, "I literally heard him shaking when he was all 'she's with him now?' So yeah," she shrugged.

"That's all I really am to you, isn't it Mare?" John kissed the side of her head, "a threatening arm piece."

"Oh yeah, totally babe," Mary laughed, rolling her eyes.

"So we're going to Orlando in a week?" AJ grinned excitedly.

"You... wanna make this a group thing?" Mary blinked.

"Oh please Mary," Punk rolled his eyes. "We're all in for this one. I mean, I would love to see this guy squirm in person, and knowing that I was a part of the reason he would be is just a glorified bonus."

"Except for Ted," Mary nodded. "He probably should be eased into this."

Everyone except Punk nodded in agreement, but AJ quickly whispered in his ear the reasoning for leaving him out before he got a chance to ask.

"Anyway," Mary took a deep breath. "After he left the room, Brooke picked her phone back up and said that she felt like he may actually regret what he did. I'll still never forgive him, but I get to be the bitch here."

"Why's that, sis?" Chelsea raised an eyebrow.

"I think I know," Punk nodded.

Mary laughed with a smirk, "fifteen years of back child support. I mean, yeah..." she motioned around to her yard and house, "I'm obviously not in need of the extra money, but it's the principle of the matter."

"How _did_ you get this house in the first place, baby?" John laughed.

"You really wanna know?" Mary looked up at her boyfriend, smirking.

"Now... I'm not so sure," John laughed softly.

"Okay, okay," she looked around to her friends. "This stays between us, obviously. The house is a present from Vince the the board. I didn't sue the company, so I got my dream house as a thank you for not blaming them for what happened to me." She shrugged, "they didn't have to, but I wasn't about to turn it down."

"Ooh, yeah," Randy winced, "I can see why you're a little hush hush about that."

"Yeah," Punk nodded in agreement, "anyone can easily twist that information around."

"Et telle est nos vies (And such is our lives)," AJ stated in a dramatic tone.

"Oui, mon amour. Nous sommes cet type spécial de spécial (Yes, my love. We are that special type of special)," Mary laughed.

"I see how it is," John laughed. "You can call her your love, but you can't even say it around me?"

Mary blinked, "oh yeah. I forgot you knew a little French."

John shrugged, "it's all good. I like it. It's hot."

"This is when it starts getting weird for me," Alex laughed.

"Says the guy doing our other best friend," Mary raised an eyebrow.

Celeste's eyes widened, "wait... you know?"

AJ laughed, "oh come on. Even _I_ knew that, and I'm probably the most innocent one in this group."

"Most innocent as in hasn't had nearly as much sex as the rest of us?" Mary smirked.

The youngest Diva looked down, pouting playfully. "Damn you, Mary," she giggled.

"Can um... she do that with of any of us?" Cody coughed.

"It looks like it," John laughed. "It looks getting speared onto a bed multiple times by a 'Viper' has made her intuitive." He had decided to take the route of joking around about the situation, but wasn't sure how much it would make him feel better about the whole thing in the long run.

Mary punched John in the arm with a laugh, "no... I can't seem to do that with Chelsea. At least not yet. In the end, all I really care is that all of you are happy."

"What about you, Maryanne?" Randy looked up, blushing a little from the comment that John had just made.

"Well, there is one thing that would make me really happy," Mary licked her lips.

"And what's that, baby?" John slipped his arms around her waist.

Mary turned to John, biting her lip, "move in with us?"

John paused as everyone else fell silent, including the kids, who had came up to ask if it was time for cake yet. Marcus had a hopeful look on his face that definitely weighed in on the former champion's decision. "On one condition," he finally said after a few minutes of thought.

"Anything, baby," Mary looked into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Tell me what you haven't yet. Something that the whole roster seems to know now, but won't tell me why. I want you to say how you feel," John swallowed visibly.

Mary blinked, forgetting the crowd around them. "I love you, John Felix Anthony Cena, Junior."

Everyone around them cheered, causing Mary to break out of her trance. She looked around, remembering that her son and his friends were still around. She smiled at her son, "oh hey Marcus, I hope I haven't ruined your party, or anything."

The teen quickly shook his head, "of course not, mom. It's just getting late, and some of the guys have to get home soon."

Mary nodded, turning to Cody and Randy, "the cake is in the kitchen, guys."

Her friends nodded, making their way to the sliding glass door and lit the candles before carefully brought the cake out as everyone began singing "Happy Birthday" to Marcus.

Once he blew out the candles, Celeste grinned. "So what did you wish for?"

"Funny, Kaitlyn," Marcus rolled his eyes. He found it easier to call his mother's friends by their ring names around his friends for various reasons. "But still, my wish already came true," he turned to his mother and John with a smile.

…

A couple of hours later, everyone that was going to leave had. Mary finished setting up the boys in the basement and walked up to her living room. She looked around to her friends, "okay, so I have three guest rooms, which is perfect. Technically Chels, if you want to claim one for yourself now, that's cool. Each of the rooms have their own bathroom. Randy, you can take Marcus's room for the night. My..." She turned to look to John with a smile, "well _our _room, is at the end of the hall upstairs. Marcus's is the first door on the right, there is two rooms on the left, and one more between mine and his."

Everyone nodded, beginning to retreat to the bedrooms. It was only eleven, but they had to catch a flight in the morning. Plus, with Punk there they wouldn't be drinking, so the night had turned into retreating into privacy amongst the couples. With Randy being left to the game console that the boys hadn't taken downstairs for the night.

Mary was still in her bikini and cut-off denim shorts when she walked into her bedroom, which was actually the third floor of her house. She let her hair down before discarding the shorts and throwing them into her hamper. She began to untie her top just as John walked in with a grin. She took off the top and tossed it at her boyfriend's face before finding a tank top to throw on. While he was still blinded, she exchanged the bottom half of her bikini for a pair of tiny pajama shorts. "Okay," she giggled, once she was changed. She knew that he had intentionally kept his eyes covered while she was changing, not that she truly minded either way.

John looked around the room to see various movie, music, video game, and wrestling posters filling her walls. Including every one of his from over the years. She had a large, flat screen television, with every Nintendo console in existence, as well as the second and third Play Stations. There was a window seat, as well as a walk-in closet, but John noticed something rather particular missing. "Um babe... where's your bed?"

Mary smirked, pointing to a ladder a few feet from her closet door. She slipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed.

He followed her in to do the same after stripping down to his boxers, "that's insane, baby." He looked around to see that the bathroom already had two sinks as well as a oversized shower with a clear door and a whirlpool tub. "And so is this. You can't possibly tell me you really haven't had anyone here."

Mary nodded with a shrug, "only the guys who did all of the customization for me." She finished up and walked back into the main part of the bedroom and climbed up the ladder to her bed. The bed area of the room was above her closet, with a custom made mattress expanding over it all. "I felt like this would keep the room more open. Plus, it's awesome. Right?"

"Definitely," John grinned as he crawled into the bed next to Mary.

There were a lot of pillows on the bed, so they had to rearrange them. Mary grabbed her body pillow, tossing it over the edge. "Won't be needing that anymore."

"I hope I'm better than that," John laughed as he wrapped his arms around her once the covers were around them.

"So much better," she giggled. "So... how many of my guest rooms are about to be defiled?"

"Probably all of them," John rolled his eyes.

Mary shrugged, "I embarrassed AJ. Which I didn't really mean to. So that may rule them out. And I still somewhat hope that Cody isn't having sex with my sister, but I can't stop them."

He nodded, "so what's up with Celeste and your brother?"

"A means to an end? Like, nothing romantic. No sort of labels. I know that if they were actually dating, they would have said so," she pressed a soft kiss to her boyfriend's lips. "I just felt like pointing out that I knew."

He smiled, kissing her again, "I love you, Mary."

"I love you too, John," she smiled. "Damn, it feels good to say it."

"It's almost like as if..." he paused. "Wait... so AJ was right?"

She blinked, "about what, baby?"

"I'm your first love?"

Mary bit her lip, nodding. "Ted came close, but we were just kids at the time. Then Randy has been my only other significant relationship. I know that I'm thirty, but it's just sort of happened that way."

"Nothing wrong with that," he smiled, pulling her closer.

"At the same time, I'm worried about something," she sighed.

"What is that?" John hugged her flush to his body.

"Well... I'm starting to feel that you and Marcus are really bonding," she bit her lip.

"Yeah, I'd like to think that we are. I mean, I don't think I'd freak out if he started calling me 'dad' or anything like that," he kissed the top of her head.

"Exactly, and now his father decides to open his mouth. He hasn't exactly had Marcus's whole life to do something about it. He literally found out when the rest of the world did because I know for a fact that he hasn't spoken to Anthony in years."

"Not that Anthony has said a single truth about you in the past _fifteen_ years," John pointed out.

"Especially to Chelsea," Mary sighed.

"Well, she knows the truth now, and she's made her choice," John reminded his girlfriend.

"It has felt so good having her back in my life. I really needed her," she yawned.

"Tired, baby?" he smiled, getting comfortable.

She nodded, picking up the remote to turn off the lights in the room. "I don't even know how I'm still awake. I still feel emotionally exhausted, and I don't know why."

"Maybe you should talk to Vince about getting some time off?" he suggested.

She shook her head with a frown, "not in the middle of a storyline that just heating up again."

"Oh jeez, you're not actually going through with that still?" he sighed.

She shrugged, "Mary should be claiming him as _her _possession in the next couple of weeks."

"Great," he rolled his eyes. "Oh and Mare?"

"Yeah, babe?" she curled up against his body.

"You need to start watching how huggy you get with Randy in public. It's not like _I'm_ questioning it, but I just thought that I should let you know," he bit his lip.

She was already drifting off to sleep, "you trust us, right?"

"Of course Mary, but others may not."

She nodded, "last thing I want to do is getting on TMZ for something like that."

He kissed her forehead as she fell asleep. He had waited until she was already falling asleep to say something about what he had seen a few nights prior so she wouldn't freak out. Still, he knew that he would have to deal with the situation in detail soon.


	17. Chapter 17

**Here it is! This chapter includes John and Mary's first time together. However, as I mentioned a few chapters ago, I won't be writing out the dirty details of the act of their love. Instead, I'm using lyrics to a song that I believe perfectly describes their love. If you'd like to listen to it while you're reading the chapter, it's "Use Your Heart" by SWV.**

**Also, on that note, I've decided to change this story from T to M at this point. For language and sexual situations. Where I don't fully describe everything, I do describe enough. So to be safe, I'm changing it.**

* * *

May 31st, 2012 – Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, FL.

The day after Marcus's party, Mary had called Vince, explaining what had happened, and asked if it were okay for the group to go to the TNA arena. She was given the okay so long as no one saw them go in, and they couldn't be filmed for anything TNA related. To ease the tension, Mary and her friends, who were joined by Stephen, spent the day at Islands of Adventure. The girls went on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at least five times, loving every minute of the indoor virtual roller coaster. Over the course of the day, they were recognized by a small number of fans. This didn't bother them. They took pictures and signed autographs. This way, it would look like the intention for being Orlando was simply to enjoy the theme park for the day. By six in the evening, they had experienced everything they had wanted to for the day, so they made their way to their real destination.

As they made their way to the back door, John squeezed Mary's hand as AJ stood at her other side. Brooke and Hulk Hogan greeted them, tilting their heads upon noticing that they were all soaking wet.

"Bilge-Rat Barges?" Brooke giggled as she hugged Mary.

"You know that they have full body dryers there," Hulk laughed.

Mary shrugged, "we didn't melt. Plus, it kinda feels good. By the way, Vince was rather adamant that none of us are to be on any of your cameras."

Hulk nodded, knowing that their company had similar restrictions in their contracts. "We'll just go straight to my office." He noticed Randy in the group and chuckled, "of course you're friends with him."

"One of my best," Mary nodded with a grin as they made their way through the backstage area.

Word quickly traveled to the TNA locker room area that there was a group of WWE Superstars and Divas in Hulk's office. Since a number of the current TNA employees once worked for WWE, they made their way to the office to say hello and have a bit of brief catch up with their former co-workers. The last one to come in was Daniel. Kurt Angle smirked at Daniel as he made his exit, turning to wink at John, who had protectively brought an arm around Mary. The fact that the color had completely left Daniel's face didn't escape the group of friends, who had all smiled at the fact that they knew that had done exactly what they had set out to do. Scare the man who once thought he could just take what he wanted from a young girl.

"I didn't expect you to bring half of the roster," Daniel shook a bit as he looked around at each of the very skilled competitors surrounding him.

Mary shrugged, "I have a very faithful support group. We do everything together."

"I see that DiBiase isn't here," Daniel swallowed visibly.

"We're still close, but he still wants to rip you apart with his bare hands. So we left him out of this one for now," Mary stated simply.

Daniel took a deep breath, knowing he should cut right to the chase. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but I do want you to know that I am truly sorry for what I did to you. There is no excuse for it. I could say that I was young and stupid, but it was so much more than that. I wasn't thinking. I wanted you and I didn't care about anything beyond that. I've done a lot of thinking since then, and even moreso after finding out that I had gotten you pregnant in the process."

"You're right," Mary sighed. "I don't forgive you. I do, however, appreciate the apology. Marcus is old enough to make his own decisions now. So if you want to meet him, I'm leaving that up to him."

Daniel nodded, "possibly eventually, but I won't force it in any way. I'm not nearly as stupid as I was then. I know that any one of you could easily obliterate me, so I won't make that move."

Mary smiled softly as one of their stagehands entered the room, letting them know that the show would be starting soon, so they would need to be leaving if they didn't want to get caught on their cameras. "We should keep in touch, and whatnot. Not as friends. Hell, not even casual."

"I know that I already owe you at least a few grand," Daniel shrugged. "We'll figure it out."

Mary nodded as she stood up and got ready to leave. She couldn't help but giggle as each of the guys pushed past Daniel with threatening looks, causing him to cower as they left the room and made their exit from the Impact Zone and to their hotel for the night.

…

It was nine by the time they made it to the hotel. As they entered the lobby Mary was clinging to John's side. She knew that seeing Daniel would get to her, but she just didn't know in what way nor how much. Nothing was said as the group made their way to the elevator. They all looked to Mary as the leader of this trip. If she wanted to go out and do something, they would. Otherwise, they were all going to their rooms for the night. Since she didn't say anything, they all did the latter and waited to hear from her or get ready to go back to work in the morning.

Once they were in their room, Mary immediately began kissing John. It was questionable as to whether she remembered or cared that Randy was sharing a room with them and witnessing what was going on. She pulled John's shirt over his head and began kissing along his chest.

John chuckled softly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you sure about this, baby?"

She looked up into his eyes as she reached down and unbuttoned his jeans, the look on her face was a mix of lust, fear, and pure passion. "Make me forget?" she bit her lip as she slowly drew his zipper down.

He glanced over to Randy with an apologetic look as he nodded, picking her up and carrying her over to the bed. He set her down and removed her shirt, hearing the door close on the other side of the room. He didn't know if he could make her forget what had happened to her in the past, but he would do everything he could to make her feel better at that time.

_Alone_

_You and I intertwine_

_Refreshing_

_Conversation for the mind_

_As we stare_

_We both seek and hope to find_

_Real love_

_Purified _

…

A few minutes later, Randy walked up to Stephen's door and knocked. He sighed as he waited for the Irishman to come to the door, looking down. He felt his pocket to realize that he had forgotten his phone in John and Mary's room, but there was no way he would be going back there any time soon to retrieve it.

When the red headed man opened the door to see his friend on the other side, he shook his head, chuckling. "Maybe we should have just roomed together in the first place."

"Yeah, no shit," Randy shook his head. "I high tailed it out of there at about the time of 'please baby, I need you'."

Stephen winced, stepping aside to let the other man inside of his room. "Well to be fair, as far as we knew, they _were_ waiting."

Randy nodded as he walked into the room, letting Stephen close the door behind him. "I think that actually seeing that fucker triggered something in her mind."

"Which is understandable," Stephen nodded with a sigh. "She was at an impressionable age when it happened." He walked over to the mini-fridge and pulled out two beers, handing one to Randy.

Randy thanked him and sat down on the bed that Stephen hadn't already claimed. "I was with her for four and a half years, and I fully believed that what happened then didn't effect her. I just sort of feel like shit for it all now." He opened the beer, taking a swig.

"She was probably numb the entire time, but ye can't exactly blame yerself for it, fella," the other man shrugged. "She may have even believed that she was over it until recently."

Randy nodded, taking a deep breath. "When John met Marcus a few months back he said that he knew what Daniel had done to her. I'm sure I missed a step in there somewhere, but that's when it really hit Mary."

"Ahh, yeah," Stephen nodded. "When you mentioned looking up Anthony, we found some old YouTube videos from when Mary played teenage valet. The way that the bastard looked her up and down probably only a few minutes before doing it literally made John sick."

"I can imagine. I mean, I never saw the video, but just seeing the look on her face tonight spoke volumes." Randy sighed, "this was literally the first time she's seen him since that night."

"You think that she's going to be alright?" Stephen sat back against the pillows. "I mean, I know it's not exactly me business, but with everything that's already taking an emotional toll on her..."

The other man shrugged, "I know that John cares enough about her to make sure that she doesn't go over the edge. And even if she does, she'll have us."

…

_Use your heart and not your eyes_

_(Baby, just relax and ride)_

_If you got time then I got time_

_(Yeah, yeah)_

_Free your thoughts_

_And watch them fly_

_Use your heart and not your eyes _

John and Mary had been finished for nearly ten minutes before he finally got up to clean off. It was the most beautiful thing that Mary had experienced in her entire life. She had cried toward the end, and she could have sworn that she saw tears in his eyes as well when they reached their orgasms simultaneously. Part of her wished that they hadn't opted to go with a condom, but knew it was for the best at the time. They had years to have children together. There was no reason to start right away.

Mary was sitting up, the sheet barely covering her sweaty body as she watched John's nude form walk across the room. She smiled as she heard her phone play "Burn in My Light" by Mercy Drive. "Well, that's interesting..."

"Isn't that Randy's old music?" John tilted his head as he sat down on the bed by her feet.

She nodded, "it's his house phone."

"Does that mean Sam's calling you?" he bit his lip.

"Or Alanna, but she'd better be in bed," she laughed, seeing that it was already past midnight by that time. She unlocked her phone, answering it, "hello?"

"_Hey Mary, it's Sam. You sound a little out of breath. I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?_" The voice on the other line was skeptical. It was obvious that she wasn't completely over the thought of what the woman she was talking to had done to her in the past.

"Nah, John and I are just taking a little breather between rounds. Nothing to worry about, I can talk." Mary assured the woman that she still considered a friend as John began rubbing her ankle, slowly moving up her calf.

"_So Randy isn't with you, then? Or at least I hope he's not._"

Mary bit her lip, looking around the room. "Well, he came in with us after we went to face Daniel together... I don't know, things are a bit of blur after that."

John interjected before Sam could respond, "you were rather focused, babe. Once he noticed what was about to happen, he made a quick exit."

"Oops," Mary giggled. "I just really needed to get my mind off of the bad memories. I had completely forgotten we weren't alone."

"_You wouldn't happen to know where he went, would you? I've been trying to call him._"

Mary looked across the room, spotting Randy's phone on the table. "So that's what I heard a bit ago. He left his phone in here. I'd try Stephen. He's the only single person on this trip."

"_Who's all with you?_" Sam laughed.

"AJ and Punk, who are dating. My brother and Celeste, who are fucking. Then there's Cody and my sister, who... I don't know how serious they are yet. So yeah... Randy better be with Stephen right now," she bit her lip.

"_Agreed. Since it's so late already, do you think that you two can just tell him that I'm ready to talk?_" there was a yawn at the other end of the line.

"Yeah, of course," Mary squeaked out as John's fingers made their way to the space between her thighs.

"_Sounds like it's time for the next round, so I'll let you go. I'll talk to you soon._" There was a click on the other end, signaling that Sam had hung up.

"You're bad," Mary pouted with a moan as she set her phone back down.

"I don't think that you're body agrees, Mare," he grinned as he continued to work on her.

"You know that's not what I meant, baby. I just better be able to walk tomorrow," she teased.

He picked up the pace slightly, looking into her eyes. "So are you okay?"

She nodded, "yeah, I just..."

He paused, "Mary?"

"Sorry, my mind is still trying to catch up. I don't mean to quote Dwayne, but that was electrifying, John."

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow, adding a finger.

"Yes," she bit her lip, feeling her thighs go numb. "Now are you trying to make me go off again before giving me what I really want?"

"Maybe," he smirked, leaning down to kiss her passionately.

_My goodness_

_How it seems like yesterday (yesterday)_

_She crushed you_

_Hurt you in the strongest way (strongest way)_

_You hurt so long_

_Reward come to those who cry_

_Real love_

_Purified _

…

June 1st, 2012

The next morning Mary made her way to Stephen's room while John was showering, Randy's phone in hand. She waited after knocking, only to be greeted by Stephen, who was just in his boxers, which earned an eyebrow raise from the Diva.

He rolled his eyes, "funny lass. C'mon in," he stepped aside. "He's waiting for you."

Mary giggled as she walked into the room and over to Randy, handing him his phone. "Check your missed calls."

Randy's eyes widened as he looked through to see the missed calls from his wife. "How did you know?"

"She called me while John and I were between rounds. She's ready to talk. I can tell that she's not completely over it, but this is still good," she grinned. She turned to look at Stephen, "we should all get together for breakfast before we have to split up for the house shows."

"Well, I won't be going," Randy sighed.

Mary blinked, turning to her best friend. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I wanted to wait until after everything that could have happened yesterday to let you know that I've been suspended again," he sighed, biting his lip.

She frowned, nodding. "Well, if Sam still doesn't want you at home..."

Randy nodded with a smile, bringing his phone to his ear to call his wife.

Mary and Stephen walked over to the other side of the room, giving Randy much needed privacy. She began texting everyone else, asking them about breakfast as she sighed softly.

"Lass?" Stephen tilted his head.

"I'm having one of those complicated, mixed emotions moments. Like, I feel so incredibly good right now, but at the same time, I don't feel like I deserve it." She shrugged, "I've been a wreck for fifteen years. Why should now be any different?"

"Because you've grown, and you truly deserve all of the good things that you are feeling right now. John is a great lad, and he loves you despite any flaws you feel you may have," he placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

Mary smiled as she got a response from each of the three couples traveling with them. "Thanks. It's just hard. Everyone's in, by the way."

Stephen nodded, "now we just have to wait to see what the verdict is from Randy."

A few minutes later, Randy walked over to them with a frown.

Mary pouted, immediately hugging him. "How bad? Please don't tell me she's leaving you."

He quickly shook his head, returning the embrace. "She still wants a little time apart, but she forgives us."

Mary nodded, swallowing visibly. "My keys are in my bag in the room. Do you want me to call Angie to have her let Marcus come home while you're there?"

Randy smiled, "I could never say 'no' to that."

"Good," Mary grinned. "Let's get something to eat and plan everything out."

…

_Just a second  
I look at my watches dial  
And you love me  
pampered me like a child  
As we lay  
I close my eyes and I smile  
At your real love  
Purified _

* * *

**So yeah, I could have easily made the confrontation with Daniel a LOT more dramatic, but I just couldn't do that to Mary. The poor girl has been through enough, and I'm not even done with her yet. I just figured I'd make this one as painless as possible.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Yes, I did another time skip. I'm trying to get closer to the more recent stuff. I've got a lot of plans for my muses. *rubs hands together, grinning evilly***

**Also, I should state right now that I have used lyrics in this one as well. I do not own them. However, I recommend the song. It's brilliant.**

* * *

August 19th, 2012 – SummerSlam in Los Angeles.

Two and a half months had gone by and mostly... the girls started going crazy in the ring, just as predicted. Kaitlyn was showing the least signs of insanity, mainly just annoyed with having a boyfriend who only seemed to care about himself. AJ and Mary on the other hand, were looking like they needed a straight jacket at times. They would often have a glazed over look in their eyes, paired with a sadistic smile. The only downside to all of this was that both of the girls were showing signs of slipping outside of the ring, as well. AJ's relationship with Phil was better than what they were portraying on camera, but not all of the time. Mary was continually showing signs of not feeling like she was worth all of the love she was receiving, mostly from John. This was starting to effect their relationship severely. He stated to her, as well as their friends, many times that he loved her too much to ever leave her, and was willing to work through whatever she was going through. He meant it, no matter how much Mary continually doubted it. Sam let Randy come home finally, their relationship now stronger than ever, and Celeste and Alex had drifted apart. They remained friends, but they mutually ended the sexual benefits part of the package. However, neither really had said why to their friends.

Going into the event, AJ was showing that she would make an excellent general manager. Mostly, everyone was just happy to no longer be under the totalitarian regime of John Lauranitis. So AJ was a most welcome alternative. However, after only a few weeks, she was beginning to miss competing. This was something she hadn't thought about when she had accepted the "permanent" role, but hoped that she could find a way to work it out. Six days before the event, on Monday Night RAW, she announced the final match for the pay-per-view, a no disqualification match between Mary and Natalya. The purpose for this was to end the feud once and for all, hoping to move on to a new storyline for the Divas. That same night, Mary announced that she had a new entrance theme, as well as a surprise for everyone. She refused to tell anyone all week. Not even John knew what he surprise was going to be. Which had him worried. The only person she gave any sort of indicator to was Marcus, who along with Dominik, would be backstage for the event. All that she told her son is that she would be wearing something slightly more revealing that her usual ring attire.

After the match between The Miz and Rey Mysterio, Cody and Mary were shown backstage, talking about the match she was about to have. The camera was above their waists, so that hinted at what would be the first of her surprises.

"Can't you just tell me what you have planned? I mean, you do love me, don't you?" Cody pouted playfully, giving her puppy dog eyes.

Mary giggled, kissing his pout. "You'll find out, baby. Trust me, you're going to love it." She paused, flashing her sadistic, "crazy" grin. "All of it..." She casually walked away, swinging her hips.

Cody exhaled sharply, tugging at his collar as he followed her down the hall, ending the segment.

After Natalya made her entrance, they waited a few seconds before giving the go ahead to start playing Mary's new entrance theme. It began with the music from the original Super Mario Brothers theme before going into "Lolita" by The Veronicas as the lights were lowered. As the lyrics began, Mary and Cody walked out onto the entrance ramp, huge smiles on their faces.

_From the mouths of babes to the power of men_

_I make it all new again_

_Hold my hand, hold my hand 'cause I can't touch the ground_

_The carousel goes around, round and round_

_The addiction, the friction, it burns you alive_

_So illegal, no evil is seen with these eyes_

_I won't tell if you won't and I will if you want_

_Nothing is sacred, don't care if it's wrong_

Mary was wearing one of Cody's t-shirts, one large enough to hang down to about mid-thigh level. As they walked to the ring a light show of various Mario Brothers characters, ranging from 8-bit to current, flashed around the arena. Most Divas didn't get light shows nor pyrotechnics for their entrances, but Mary designed and programmed this one herself. Otherwise, she wouldn't have one either. They entered the ring and Mary sat on the top turnbuckle, Cody positioned himself between her legs. She grinned as the chorus began, bending over to kiss him deeply.

_I'm your Lolita, La Femme Nikita_

_When we're together, you'll love me forever_

_You're my possession, I'm your obsession_

_Don't tell me never, you'll love me forever _

There was a message about their on screen relationship in the lyrics, but Cody wasn't supposed to really notice, despite it clearly saying "you're my possession, I'm your obsession". He helped her off of the turnbuckle and left the ropes, standing on the apron as she pulled her shirt over her head in one fluid motion, tossing it at him as the truncated version of the song came to a close.

_Always stay close to me, don't think of leaving_

_Don't promise, I will keep our secret (secret, secret) _

As she handed Cody the discarded shirt, her first surprise was on display. Jaws dropped throughout the arena as they saw that the normal leather hot pants she normally wore to the ring while she was with Cody were replaced by a pair of dark, denim cut-offs that nearly showed the bottom of her ass cheeks. The bustier she wore was replaced by a smaller, tighter version that was obviously as small as she could go without fear of popping out of it. She just smiled, licking her lips as she waited for Cody to step off of the apron and the bell to ring to start her match.

The green room where everyone had gathered to watch the match had fallen silent until just after the match began to gain some momentum and the Divas made their way out of the ring. Marcus kept contemplating wanting to cover his eyes, despite wanting to watch his mother's match.

"Ho. Ly. Shit," Randy finally broke the silence after watching Mary throw Natalya into the guard rails.

"That's," John cleared his throat, "one way to put it."

"Dude, I hate to be the one to say this, but..." Dominik looked to his best friend, "um... you're mom is HOT."

Randy smacked the teen as some of the other guys in the room laughed. They agreed, but they didn't have the balls to say so.

"Okay, for one," Marcus sighed, "she's my MOM. For two, you see this guy right here," he motioned to John, "this is her _real_ boyfriend."

"It's okay, bud," John sighed, obviously not very happy with his girlfriend's choice of ring attire for that match. "I'm actually just surprised she is okay with showing off that much skin like this."

Back in the ring, Natalya was applying the "Sharp Shooter" on Mary. Cody watched from merely a couple of feet away, noticing the look on Mary's face. "I think she's enjoying it," he said before quickly clapping his hand over his mouth.

Natalya overheard him, raising an eyebrow. Before she got a chance to react, Mary did a push-up and managed to straighten out her body, snapping the other woman face first onto the mat. Mary laughed crazily as she removed the hair pins from her hair, tossing them at Cody before swinging her head aside and revealing her other big surprise. The right side of her head was shaved.

Back in the green room John's eyes widened. "What the hell..."

"Well fuck, it looks like my sister really is losing it," Chelsea sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm sure it's just an act, Aunt Chelsea," Marcus quickly offered, biting his lip.

"Let's hope, son," John sighed softly.

After a few more devastating blows Mary performed the "Final Cut", which was one of the moves she adopted from her mentor, Goldust, but hadn't used in quite a while. Despite obviously being able to go for the pin, Mary decided that she wasn't done with her foe. She pulled the lifeless body of Natalya into the perfect place on the mat and climbed up to the middle turnbuckle. She raised up her hands in the air into an "L" and a "V", showing her support for the late, great Luna Vachon. She climbed up one more tier and steadied herself before executing a perfect moonsault. It was a move that she called "Tribute", and this was the first time she used it. After landing on the other woman, she felt that it was enough. She allowed the three count to occur and stood up. Cody joined her in the ring once more to congratulate her as "Lolita" began to play once more. This time with the second verse playing as they made their way back up the ramp.

_Doomed from the start, we can't stay apart_

_Everywhere I turn I'm trapped in your heart_

_There's no escape, secrets keep you awake_

_No running away, no saving the day_

_Wild and exciting I'm breaking you down_

_You're making a comeback, I'm taking your crown_

_Nursery rhymes I'm singing my dreams_

_I'm lost in the woods and you're baring your teeth_

They shared a kiss at the top of the entrance ramp, just before disappearing behind the curtain. "Just let me get to the locker room before anyone can stop me," she whispered, wanting to shower off and get into her normal clothing as quickly as possible.

Cody nodded, noticing that once the cameras were gone she was now looking extremely uncomfortable. Obviously, that attire was far from her idea. He managed to find a route to the Divas locker room where no one stopped them in the hall to say anything. After he left her, he found the green room where everyone had been watching, his head hanging as he joined his friends. "That attire wasn't her idea," he shook his head, knowing what was on everyone's minds. "I don't see this going well."

John sighed, shaking his head. "We need to find a way to tone this down. I feel like I'm losing her."

Marcus frowned, "I'm sure we can find a way to bring her back, dad. She's got to be in there somewhere."

John smiled warmly, bringing an arm around the teenager. "That's our job, son. You and I are going to have to be very strong for your mom."

What the men in the room hadn't noticed was that AJ and Celeste had slipped out and made their way to the Divas locker room. They stepped into the showers just as Nattie was frowning, noticing the look on Mary's face.

"I'm starting to think that it's time you say something, Mary," Nattie shook her head.

"She's right, babe," AJ bit her lip. "This isn't good for you."

"I was just following script," Mary sighed.

"Yeah, but you were uncomfortable," Celeste noted. "You may have hid it on camera, but we know you. The last thing you should be doing is putting yourself on public display like that."

"Aren't the boys here?" Nattie bit her lip.

Celeste nodded, "they were watching with us. Marcus didn't know what to think."

"Shit, Marcus," Mary slapped her forehead. "Why did I ever agree to this bullshit?"

"He's a big boy, Mare. You've taught him well," AJ smiled.

Mary nodded, cutting off the water and grabbing her towel. "I just want to see if I can catch John before he has to go to his match."

The other girls nodded, Nattie finishing her shower as well.

"Has anyone seen AJ?" a stage hand popped into the green room.

Randy looked around the room, "weren't her and Kaitlyn just in here?"

"They probably went to check on Mary," Cody shrugged.

A few moments later the four women entered the room. Mary had put on a pair of baggy jeans, a Mario Brothers 3 t-shirt, and an oversized hoodie. She immediately wrapped her arms around John's waist as the stagehand pulled AJ away.

John hugged her tightly, rubbing her back. "It's okay, baby. You did great out there."

"I'm not that girl," she mumbled into her boyfriend's chest.

"I know that, Mary. We all know that. You're better than that." He kissed the top of her head and reached up, running his hand along the shaved clean side of her head.

"That... On the other hand, actually was me," she giggled softly.

"It actually looks good on you, Sis," Chelsea laughed as Cody nibbled on her earlobe.

Mary saw the display out of the corner of her eye and smirked, "Cody Garrett..."

Cody quickly snapped to attention. "I'll be good."

"I like it," John nodded. "It suits you."

"Thanks baby," Mary hugged him tighter, not wanting to let him go.

"You're never going out into the ring like that again," Stephanie announced as she walked into the room.

Mary blinked, turning to look at her friend. "Oh... hey Steph."

"I'm so sorry," the older woman shook her head. "I had no idea they were putting you out there in something that revealing."

Mary nodded, "I know that I made it look like I was okay with it, but I really wasn't."

Stephanie sighed, "like you said once before, I've known you since you were ten. I know you well enough to know you would never choose to dress like that. From now on, I want you to be yourself out there."

"I seriously considered just wrestling in Cody's shirt," Mary laughed.

Stephanie looked to the monitor as she nodded, "you should probably get going, John." She looked up, "you too, Punk." She spun around, exiting the room.

The men in the next match nodded. John kissed Mary for luck before leaving with his competitor.

Once they left, Mary sighed heavily, running her fingers through her hair. "Was he mad?" she looked around to everyone in the room.

Randy quickly shook his head, "he wasn't happy, but it was because he could tell it wasn't your choice."

"We're more worried about you than anything else, mom," Marcus bit his lip.

Mary sighed, walking over to her son. "I'm sorry, baby. This has got to be so hard on you."

The teen shook his head, hugging his mother. "Of course not, mom. Dad and I understand. We want to be there for you."

Mary smiled, "I do like the sound of you calling him that."

"Well, I don't always call him that, but I feel that the situation calls for it. This is a family thing," Marcus nodded.

"Well, our version of a family," Mary giggled. "Speaking of," she looked up, "who all is coming up to our house tonight?"

"I think just me, Cody, and Alex," Chelsea nodded at her sister.

"Yeah, I have a phone date with the wife," Randy smirked.

Mary nodded, "alright. I think that I'm going to see about leaving after John's ready. I'm ready to get out of here for the night."

…

Cody was nominated driver for the night as everyone piled into Mary's Grand Cherokee. Chelsea was in the passenger side, with Alex and Marcus in the middle row. Leaving the entire back seat to John and Mary. Mary stayed silent as she curled up against John, her earbuds in her ears. During the ride, John picked up his girlfriend's iPod, looking at the playlist she was listening to. All of the songs were depressing, which upset John. He hugged her close to his body, kissing the top of her head. She was going back and forth so much lately that it really was beginning to concern everyone around her. Just a few weeks before, at the 1000th episode of RAW, she was running around squealing backstage. Seeing her reunited with Lita was one of the happiest moments anyone had seen from Mary in months.

"Is there a history of depression in your family?" Cody said softly, not wanting to disturb Mary.

Alex nodded, "our Aunt committed suicide about a year before our Dad died."

"I see what you're saying, babe," Chelsea bit her lip. "She has no reason to be this down right now."

"Vince has psychiatrists on staff. I'll arrange for her to see one," John nodded, rubbing Mary's arm.

"I just hate seeing her like this," Cody sighed as he turned off on the exit to Mary's neighborhood.

"We all do, Uncle Cody," Marcus swallowed visibly. "It really sucks."

* * *

**Yes, I added a Divas match to the SummerSlam card. There was what, fifteen minutes after Triple H tapped out left before the PPV was over? Add that on top of the unnecessary "mini-concert" thrown in before the main event, and there was plenty of time for a Divas match. This match would have taken at least a good ten minutes.**


	19. Chapter 19

September 3rd, 2012 – Monday Night RAW in Chicago, Illinois.

Mary had taken a week off of work to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Thankfully, she went in willingly, revealing that she was the most bothered by her depressive state as of late. She didn't feel like she was hiding anything, but she discovered that she had been repressing a lot of fears that were all leading back to her attack back in '96. She hadn't talked to John about this yet, but she didn't want to hold it back from him any longer than necessary. While she was away, everyone was simply told to say that she was recuperating after her match with Natalya after SummerSlam, which was perfectly believable. She probably could have taken a little more time off, but she wanted to attend her hometown show, match or not. This was partially due to the fact that Rey Mysterio's family had been taking care of Marcus had recently been revealed. Add that to the fact that Cody was feuding with him and Sin Cara, it was becoming one of the most talked about feuds. The first few times Cody attempted to demask Sin Cara, Mary found it funny in the ring. However, the more he did it, the more it began to bother her. Cody was barely paying attention to her now that his focus was on the masks, and he was beginning to lose every match he was in because of it. In character, this frustrated Mary, and it only made her slip further down the slippery slope of insanity.

That night, Cody teamed up with Tensai against the luchadores. Mary joined Cody at ringside in her first televised appearance since SummerSlam. Instead of wearing her skimpy ring attire, she opted to wear a pair of cut-off worn denim shorts that went about mid-thigh with a Cody t-shirt. However, she had the shirt cut up much like AJ had been doing with the "In Punk We Trust" shirts while she accompanied Punk to the ring. Every time Cody was in the ring and going for a mask, Mary could be heard yelling at him from ringside. In fact, she was picked up on camera saying "damn it, Cody! Focus!" at one point during the match. Once it was over, Mary joined the winning team in the ring. She glared at Cody as he backed up the ramp. Smirking, she stood between Rey and Sin Cara, raising their hands in victory.

"Well, someone just sent her boyfriend a message," Michael Cole chuckled.

"A well deserved one, too," The Miz agreed. "Maybe he'll start paying attention to something other than the masks. Like I don't know, maybe _her_."

Moments later, Mary turned to the announcer's desk and blew a kiss to Miz, a devious look on her face. She laughed maniacally before stepping out of the ropes that the Mexican gentlemen held open for her. She smiled as Sin Cara held his hand out to her to help her down the steps and thanked him. As she reached the entrance ramp, she turned and bowed, the sadistic grin played across her face as her music began to play as she exited the ring area and behind the curtain.

"Well, I believe that Cody Rhodes has found a way to turn a chick completely psycho in less than a year. Good job, man," Miz stated in a shocked tone, still dumbfounded as to why Mary had blown him a kiss.

…

Once the show was over and everyone began leaving for the night Mary joined her friends in the locker room area. After the show went off the air, there was supposed to be a dark match between John and Punk, but it didn't exactly happen. Instead, Alberto Del Rio went out to help Punk after John attacked him from behind. This caused Sheamus to come out, followed by Antonio Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler. Lastly, Randy joined John and Sheamus, clearing the ring out. Mary, AJ, Celeste, and Cody watched from backstage, giggling the entire time. During dark matches and house shows, the superstars didn't have scripts. However, they kept to character for the most part. They always had a lot of fun putting on a show for the crowd on hand. After AJ was dragged away by Punk, Cody and Celeste stayed with Mary in John's locker room until John was ready to leave. While John was in the shower, a sheet of paper slipped under the door.

Celeste walked over to the door, picking up. As she looked at it, she tilted her head. "They do realize that this kiss between the two of you was on camera, right?"

"What kiss?" Mary tilted her head as she walked over to her friend.

"The one after your SummerSlam match. We all saw it. It was right before you went behind the curtain," Celeste showed them the picture.

"What the..." Mary shook her head. "Are they going to make something of Sin Cara and I holding hands as he helped me out of the ring tonight next?"

"Someone _really_ doesn't want us together," John sighed as he walked into the room.

Mary frowned, "how long has this been going on, babe?"

"It started at Over the Limit, but I haven't gotten anything in weeks. I just shrugged it off. I trust you," John slipped an arm around Mary's waist, kissing the side of her head. "That's why I never made a big deal about it."

Mary's eyes widened as she put something together in her mind, "John... are there pictures of Randy and I together?"

John hung his head, biting his lip.

"Shit, and we have no idea who's doing this?" Cody swallowed visibly.

John shook his head, "no one has made a move on me."

"Me either," Mary sighed. "Randy is not going to like this..."

Just then the door opened. "What am I not going to like?"

Mary froze up at the sound of Randy's voice.

"Hey Cody, you wanna give me a ride to the hotel?" Celeste motioned for the door.

Cody quickly nodded, leaving with his female friend.

John kissed Mary's forehead before turning to his best friend. "There are a few pictures that I have, and you're not going to like them. I keep them with me because I don't want them getting out."

Mary closed her eyes, biting her lip. "I'm sure that the person who took them still has them on their computer."

"What pictures?" Randy gritted his teeth.

John sighed heavily walking over to his bag and pulling out a folder.

Before Randy could get a chance to, Mary snatched it out of her boyfriend's hand. She looked through each of the sheets of paper. The first few saying things like "can you really trust them?" then onto changing "them" to "her" in later ones. She shook her head, handing them to Randy as tears filled her eyes. She turned away, kicking a chair as Randy looked through them.

"I want to be mad at the ones that involve me, but..." Randy sighed, watching Mary go on to find something to destroy in the room.

John nodded, biting his lip. Randy didn't have to say anything. The series of photos made Mary look like a slut, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She was often cozy with her male friends, which was just the type of person she was. There was even a picture of her sitting next to Zack with his arm around her shoulders casually. Something as innocent as that twisted to look like she was an unfaithful girlfriend.

"Who could do this to me?" Mary shrieked as she turned to the men in the room with her. "No really, who? And fuck... why? _Why_ would someone want to do this to me? I don't understand," her voice broke as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

John immediately rushed over to his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her. "I can tell you one thing. There is nothing this person can do to convince me to leave you. I know you, Mary. I love you for everything that you are. That includes your close relationships with your male friends. I am in no way intimidated by any of that. You are mine, and I will never doubt that."

Mary nodded, sobbing for a few more minutes before pulling away to look at her current and former boyfriends. "Can we go see Teddy Bear on Wednesday?" She felt John slump a little in her arms, feeling dejected that she wanted to see another man while he was comforting her. She pulled him down for a kiss, "there's a reason I said Wednesday, silly."

John blinked, tilting his head, "oh?"

She laughed, nodding, "think about it, baby."

"Oh hey, shades of my ex right there," Randy chuckled. "You won't be getting much, if any, sleep tonight, buddy."

"Right," John nodded. "So what exactly is happening tonight?"

Mary grinned, shades of her sadistic "crazy" glint in her eyes as she pulled away to grab her things. "You're marking your territory."

John thought for a few moments before nodding. "I think I can work with that. Let's go."

"So I'll start making plans to head to Tampa after we film SmackDown? Who all is going?" Randy gave Mary a quick hug, kissing her temple.

"Whoever wants to," Mary shrugged as she lead John out.

…

September 4th, 2012

It was ten in the morning when the sound of "Voices" brought Mary out of a dream. She checked the time before answering, noticing that she had to be up anyway. "Fuck you," she groaned with a laugh.

Randy laughed on the other end of the line, "_love you too, Mare. Can you walk? You know you have a match tonight, right?_"

"Well..." Mary sat up slowly. "I can feel my legs. That's a good sign, right?"

John rolled over, facing her, but not opening his eyes. "Damn, does that mean we have go to again?"

"_Damn girl, what did you do to him? I don't think I've heard John Cena talk like that since his album._"

Mary giggled, standing up slowly. "Please Randy," she scoffed. "Don't even try to talk like you never fucked me until I couldn't see straight. You of all people know the effect I have in bed."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," John grumbled into his pillow.

Mary rolled her eyes, looking back to John on the bed, "you're the only one getting any of this from now until the end of time. The past is just that. We're leaving that behind us."

"_Says the girl who likes it in the ass,_" Randy smirked.

"But I like your behind," John sat up, at the same time Randy made his comment.

"Wow you guys," Mary shook her head. "Maybe you don't have different styles."

"_It would explain why you like being with him so much,_" Randy chuckled.

"I heard that," John laughed as he got up and slipped an arm around Mary's waist from behind, both of them still completely naked due to the fact that they didn't bother putting anything on before going to sleep.

Mary squeaked, "not now, baby. I've got to shower and get ready to face a body builder turned Barbie doll."

"_You're going against Aksana? She's actually getting a match while she's Cesaro's valet?_"

"Well, there's only like ten of us on the main roster including Cameron, Naomi, and Rosa. I guess that they feel the need to rotate them in occasionally," Mary shrugged, fighting off a moan as John began kissing the back of her neck. "We really need Paige. She'd make things fun for us."

"_Yeah, I've heard about her. If you ladies got her on the main roster, you'd really squash all of the __Barbie doll stereotypes. It's not like you don't have connections, Mare. Make it happen._"

"Good point," Mary nodded as John ran his hand down her side. "Joooooooohn," she whined. "Randy, make him stop."

Randy laughed, "_give him the phone and make a run for the bathroom._"

"Wha-" John started, but Mary had slipped out of his grasp and handed him her phone. "Damn it, Randy," he chuckled as he heard the bathroom door lock.

"_Sorry for cock blocking, dude. But she __**does**__ have a match tonight. SmackDown isn't run by her best friend. She could get in trouble for being late to the show._"

"Good point," John laughed softly. "I just can't help it with her."

"_Hey, remember who you're talking to here. Mary is special in many ways._"

"Just remember," John took a deep breath. "You chose Sam."

"_Yes John, I __**did**__ choose her. I love Sam. She and Al are everything to me. The only way I'd regret it were be if I lost Mary as a friend when I made my choice._"

"Whoa... wait..." John blinked.

"_You didn't know about that? I sort of overlapped Mary and Sam. They both know. Once I got to know Sam enough to know that she was the one, I told Mary and she was fine with it._"

"Just like that?" John raised an eyebrow as he sat down on the bed and found his boxers, pulling them on.

Randy sighed, "_she already had her eye on you, John._"

"Did I even know her then?" John tilted his head.

"_She was in OVW for six years. She was even TV champ once. If we were friends then, you probably would have noticed her a little sooner._"

"Wait... TV champ? My Mary against guys?"

"_Yeah dude,_" Randy laughed, "_she actually does better against men._"

"Then why don't they..." John thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, Chyna. That's probably why they won't put Beth in our category, as well."

"_Honestly, I think that they're both getting bored with the competition they've been given. Personally, I don't blame them. Ever since Trish and Lita left, the Divas division has slowly become a joke. The ones that are left there, and actually serious about it, are struggling._"

"Oh Lita..." John sighed, laughing softly.

"_Remember John, she's one of Mary's besties._" Randy chuckled.

"Oh, I remember. Mary and I were just starting to see each other while I said all that stuff about Lita during my promos a few years back," John shook his head. "Though, the pout Mary gave me in the locker room area was priceless."

"_That woman's pout is lethal. She's got me, Cody, and Ted completely whipped._"

"She probably knows it, too," John looked up as the bathroom door opened once more. "Speak of the she devil."

Mary giggled, doing a little spin for her boyfriend. She was wearing a pair of jeggings with a vintage style Umbrella Corporation t-shirt.

"Beautiful, baby. Now... where do I know that logo from? It's a movie, right?" John smirked.

"And a video game franchise," Mary rolled her eyes. "It's Resident Evil. Seriously babe, do your homework. It's one of my favorites."

"_Ooooh, someone's in trouble,_" Randy laughed.

"Shut up, Randy. I totally knew that."

"No you didn't," Mary laughed as she straddled John's lap, sitting down and bringing her hands to his shoulders.

"Now do I get more?" John attempted to make puppy dog eyes at Mary.

Mary smiled, kissing him softly. "No, I've got to be there for SuperStars."

"What's the Divas match for that this week?" John raised an eyebrow.

"Natalya and Layla," Mary smirked.

"Are you going to be bad, baby?" John grinned.

"Nah," she shook her head. "I save that for Cody's matches now. I'm doing commentary."

"_In other words, she's finding more ways to make Josh squirm,_" Randy laughed. "_We should probably get going, Mare. Meet in the lobby?_"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few," she sighed softly.

"See you tonight, man. Take care of her for me," John wrapped his arms around Mary's waist.

"_Always. Have a good day._"

John ended the call, handing Mary her phone back. "What's wrong? Do you want me to come with you?"

Mary shook her head, "there is something I need to talk to you about, but I sort of want everyone to know. It can wait until we're at Ted's tomorrow."

John nodded, pressing a soft, yet passionate kiss to her lips. "You'd tell me if it were important, right?"

"John... I've learned my lesson. I promise that I'm not keeping things from you for years on end," she stood up, picking up the bag she had ready for the show that night.

He nodded, "don't forget your meds, sweetheart."

Mary nodded with a sigh, reaching into her bag and pulling out the brown bottle to prove that she had it with her. "Remember, I'm the one who wanted this."

He smiled, standing up once more, "hey Mare?"

"Yeah?" she turned to him.

"I love you," he offered her a small smile.

She smiled, running back over to him, jumping into his arms. "Keep that up," she whispered into his ear before kissing his cheek.

"So that helps?" he gently let her down.

She nodded, "knowing it and hearing it are two different things. Sometimes it makes all the difference." She walked back to the door once more, "oh... and I love you, as well."

"Forever and always?" he grinned.

"To the moon and back," she winked before heading out the door to meet up with her SmackDown friends.


	20. Chapter 20

September 4th, 2012 – SmackDown tapings.

Mary had been feeling really good all day. This was a first in a long time. She didn't know if it was that they found the right dosage of meds right away, or if she had just let go and accept that she deserved everything she was getting. Either way, she wasn't going to waste her mood. There was a little over an hour before the audience would start coming in, and all of the girls were ready. Mary made her way to the ring with AJ, Celeste, Chelsea, Beth, Nattie, Naomi, Cameron, and Alicia. There was a grin on her face as the women all looked around at the empty seats.

"So what are we doing here?" Nattie raised her eyebrow as the girls all entered the ring.

"This," Mary pulled out her iPod, pointing it toward the sound booth and pressed a few buttons. Just as one of the other girls was about to say something "Boots 'n Bikini" by Myah Marie began playing over the sound system.

"And this is why she's our tech geek," Celeste laughed, giving her friend a high five.

The Divas all danced in the ring, taking turns picking out songs from Mary's collection. By the third song a few of the guys began walking down the entrance ramp, not saying any single word, nor did anything to make their presence known. They watched the girls dancing, rather suggestively, with each other in the ring with grins on their faces. The girls laughed, singing along and playing out some of the lyrics in some of the songs. While "Do It Like a Dude" by Jessie J was playing, Mary and Nattie were grinding on each other. This caused Tyson to jump up on the ring apron, clearing his throat.

Mary smiled, turning down the volume as she looked down to see their audience, which was mostly comprised of the guys she had goaded into matches with Alex while she was doing that storyline. "Like the show, boys?"

"You know it, little Diva," Zack chuckled.

The guys who had all been watching gathered in front of the ring as Randy and Cody made their way onto the entrance ramp. Mary felt as if there were a pair of eyes burning a hole right through her, but she didn't see any of the guys looking any creepier than normal. She knew that she needed to be on the lookout for whomever was spying on her, but she wasn't about to put her life on hold because of it.

"See? I told you this had Mary written all over it," Randy laughed. "I know a little about her taste in music."

"You better hope you don't get into trouble, Mare," Cody smirked as he pushed past the group and stepped into the ring to greet Chelsea.

Mary shrugged, "hey... they're the ones who want us to use sex as a weapon. Nobody said it had to stay PG off camera."

"Plus it's just us," Stephen shrugged. "I say that the lasses get to have a little fun every now and then."

"I'm beginning to worry how non PG some of you are when the rest of us aren't around," Kofi shook his head, laughing.

"Ye probably don't wanna know," Drew smirked.

"Some of you probably couldn't handle the stuff that comes out of Mary's mouth when she gets going," Randy stated plainly with a shrug.

"I've been a witness to that," Zack laughed. "She can be quite blunt."

Mary shrugged, "I don't see a point in holding back." Just then she looked up to see Booker T on top of the entrance ramp. "Oh hey Booker. Do we need to clear out and get ready for the show?"

"Yes, and in the future, I'd like to ask if you could keep the shenanigans to a minimum," the General Manager of SmackDown nodded to the Diva with a not so hidden smile.

"Got it," she saluted before making her way out of the ring. The rest of the girls following as the group made their way backstage.

…

Mary had a lot of fun during her match early in the program. Cody had accompanied her to the ring, and in character she noticed that when he didn't have the masked men around to distract him, his attention was one hundred percent on her. Instead of the sexy, leather ring attire that she was becoming known for, Mary wore a pair of tattered denim shorts with a pair of ripped, black tights under them. She wore a white tank top with a "One Up" mushroom on it, her sports bra was visible, but that didn't bother her. On her wrists, she wore some of John's old wristbands, but she made sure the logos couldn't be seen on camera. Normally, she would be wearing Nintendo related wrist bands, but she wanted a piece of her boyfriend on her attire that night. She had taken the words from Stephanie very seriously, and this helped her mood immensely.

She could have easily beaten Aksana in a couple of minutes, but there had been a lot of animosity built up against the Lithuanian Diva over the past couple of years. It was a good thing that Cody was out there with her, because just as Mary was about to inflict some serious damage on her competitor, Antonio Cesaro attempted to step in. The man who was very protective of Mary in _and_ out of the ring immediately ran over to where Cesaro was about to yank Mary's ankle and cause her to lose balance, and fall and/or become distracted. Cody hit Cesaro, backing up the Sweede to the guard rail so that the Divas could continue. Mary laughed at the action outside of the ring, giving Aksana a small opening. The smaller woman got a few hits in on Mary, but this only caused her to laugh more. She picked up Aksana and did a running power slam before standing and dusting off her shoulder. She smiled at Cody, who had Cesaro on the ground outside of the ring. Her next move looked suspiciously like the "Five Knuckle Shuffle" only she hadn't done "U Can't See Me", nor did she bounce off of the ropes before performing it. Otherwise, it looked exactly like her real boyfriend's signature maneuver. On all fours, Mary looked down at Aksana's lifeless body, laughing. She wanted to do more, but the only move she had any interest in doing at the moment would require the other woman to get up on her own, which wouldn't be happening any time soon. Instead, she shrugged and went for the pin, getting the three count.

As Cody joined her in the ring to celebrate, she laughed once more. He knew why Mary disliked Aksana, but in character it was for reasons he didn't care for very much. After the ref raised her hand, Cody slipped his arms around her waist from the opposite side. Grinning, Mary brought an arm around her onscreen boyfriend and kissed him. At the moment, she was just as happy in the ring as she was outside of it. In storyline, the couple were supposed to appear very much in love, despite Cody's obsession with the masks of the luchadores. This was something that they faked very well. Mary assumed that this was pulled off because, much like herself, Cody was in love in real life. This made her a little wary, but at the same time, better him being in love with her kid sister than a guy she didn't even know. As they exited the ring and walked up the entrance ramp to disappear behind the curtain, they held hands, their fingers laced.

After they made their way to the locker room area, Mary laughed, shaking her head. "I really hope that the smart fans picked up on that being too good to be true."

"Let's see," Cody paused for effect as Chelsea joined them, "given our history, add it to the fact that I'm supposed to be more interested in masks right now... Yeah, definitely too good to be true."

Chelsea giggled, kissing Cody. "Don't get me wrong, I trust you two, but... it will be ending soon... right?"

"Well," Mary smirked, "I know when the relationship is ending, but I believe I will be torturing him for a while after."

"Eh," Chelsea shrugged. "I can deal with that. I just don't like kissing him after you do so much."

"Just remember sis, you're not the only one dealing with that," Mary bit her lip.

Cody tilted his head, "everything okay with you and John?"

Mary nodded with a smirk, "we got only like three hours of sleep this morning."

"That explains so much," Celeste smirked as she and AJ walked up.

AJ slipped her arms around Mary's waist from behind. "And yet, she still was able to put on a good show for us in the ring just now."

Mary laughed, situating herself so that she could slip an arm around the smaller woman. "I'm Super Chick. You know that."

"You really are getting bored going up against the rest of us Divas, aren't you?" Celeste pouted playfully.

"I've just... outgrown this competition. It's time I move past it," Mary shrugged. "Oh hey... now that all of you are here, who's up for a trip to Tampa tomorrow?"

Cody's face lit up, "are you going to visit Ted?"

She nodded, "Randy's making the arrangements."

"Well..." AJ sighed. "We're in, but both of us will be alone."

"Fucking Heyman," Mary muttered, shaking her head.

"Where has our brother been lately, anyway?" Chelsea tilted her head.

"Tapping rats," Mary grumbled before pecking AJ on the lips and slipping out of her hold. "Anyway, I need to go get showered and ready for Cody's match later."

After Mary slipped into the Divas locker room and AJ and Celeste walked off to catering with depressed look on their faces, Chelsea looked to her boyfriend questioningly. "Did my sister just say that my brother is tapping... rats?"

"Ring rats," Cody nodded. "It's our term for groupies."

"Oh geez, you've got to be fucking kidding me," Chelsea rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

…

That night Cody was facing the luchadores once more, only his tag team partner was The Miz. Mary was in the same pair of shorts from earlier with a pair of custom designed Converse sneakers and a Goomba baby tee. They were the last to make their way to the ring, and while they made their way down the entrance ramp, they were arguing, but no one could make out anything they were saying. Miz rolled his eyes at this, knowing that there was no way his side would win the match unless he handled things himself.

After the couple entered the ring, Mary just stood aside as Cody finished his entrance. She looked over to Miz with a sigh. "Sorry," she frowned.

Miz shook his head, holding out his hand to her and helping her out of the ring. Looking to make sure a camera was on them, he loudly whispered. "You deserve better."

Mary smiled weakly as she stood outside the ring, waiting for the match to start. She shook her head in annoyance as once more, Cody was more focused on attempting to take off his competitors mask, rather than actually wrestling.

After Miz began barking orders to Cody, in attempts of getting his head into the game, he turned back to Mary with an apologetic look.

Mary just shrugged, "maybe he'll actually listen to you." Just then Mary looked up to see Cody attempting to pull off Rey's mask. She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "That's it!" She threw her arms up in frustration. "I give up," she began walking around the ring, making her way up the entrance ramp.

When Miz noticed that Cody _hadn't_ noticed that his girlfriend had just left in tears, he shook his head in disgust. "I'm out guys," he called out to Rey and Sin Cara before hopping off the apron and making his exit behind the curtain.

A couple of minutes later, Cody went to his corner, hoping to tag Miz in. When he saw that no one was there, he blinked. He then looked around to notice that Mary had disappeared as well. "What the..."

The entire audience responded in laughter as Sin Cara quickly took advantage and rolled him up for a three count. Cody had gotten what he deserved, but he hadn't learned his lesson.

After the match, Mary was shown in the locker room area on her phone. "Hey, it's Mary. … No, I've been better. … Yeah, it's Cody. I just don't know what to do about him anymore." She sighed as she heard Cody coming up behind her, yelling at her. "That's great," she smiled softly. "I'll see you then." She set her phone down, simulating ending the call. She turned around to look at Cody, rolling her eyes.

"What the heck, Mary? Where did you go? Should I be questioning why Miz was gone, too?" he got right up in her face.

She wiped a single tear from her eye, shaking her head. "You shouldn't. I'm surprised you even noticed."

"What do you mean?" he frowned, trying to slip his arms around her.

"You neglect me when you're around the masked wrestlers, Cody. It's like I'm not even there," she sighed, stepping away from him.

"Mary, I'm sorry. You know how I get. Remember when I was Intercontinental Champion? That title meant more to me than you did, but I've learned from that. I love you, Mary. I mean it," he swallowed visibly.

She nodded, kissing him softly to end the segment. Once they were told that they were clear, she pulled away, laughing. "And again, I'm portraying a total pushover."

"And what if John treated you like that?" Cody smirked playfully.

"I'd kick his ass if he even tried," she shrugged. "Now go shower off. I'm actually going to try and get some sleep tonight."

Cody chuckled, "yeah right."

Mary kicked him in the shin, glaring at him before she walked off in search of a place to hang out for the rest of the show and make the real phone call that she had pretended to make on camera earlier.

"_Hello?_" the voice on the other end responded.

"Hey Dusty, it's Mary," she smiled.

"_Well hello, sweetheart. What can I do ya for?_"

"I meant to call you as soon as I got the script for it, but do you think you can come to SmackDown next week? It's a kayfabe thing. I actually left ringside in tears during Cody's match tonight," she smirked.

Dusty laughed on the other end of the line, "_I see where this is going. You need his daddy to scold him for losing focus in the ring._"

"Precisely!" her voice lit up at the sound of the much older gentleman understanding her.

"_It's not a problem at all, darling. I'll be there._"

"Thanks Dusty! I'll talk to you later," she ended the call as a stagehand walked up to her.

"Do you think you have time for one more segment?" he asked, handing her a script.

She looked it over and smirked, nodding. "Definitely. Let him know."

A few minutes later, Josh Matthews was shown backstage. "Ladies and gentlemen, at this time I'm joined by..."

Before he got a chance to say her name, Mary ran up to him with a huge smile, nearly knocking him over with a hug. "Joshy!"

"Mary Williams, everyone," he chuckled, uncomfortably bringing an arm around her to awkwardly return the embrace. "You seem to be feeling better than you were just a few minutes ago."

Mary shrugged, "I punished Cody accordingly."

"Right," Josh nodded. "So what myself, as well as the WWE Universe would like to know is," he paused for effect, taking a deep breath. "You and Cody seem to argue quite a bit. Even before this mask obsession. Is there any light you can shed on this?"

Mary giggled, looking down for a moment. As she slowly looked back up, she took a deep breath. "He's a Zelda fan."

"Wait, wait... So all of that arguing, the break up right before WrestleMania, and everything else... is over rival video games?" Josh tilted his head, not fully believing her.

"Well, not all of it," Mary nodded. "There were a lot of personal issues, but yeah... a lot of our fighting stemmed from video game preferences," she shrugged, walking away to end the segment.

Mary made her way to where AJ and Celeste were hanging out and sighed, "damn it, now I wanna play Mario Party." She laughed, sitting with them.

"You totally just put a whole new spin on everything between you and Cody," AJ blinked.

"Leave it to our Mario girl to fight with a guy because he's a Zelda fan," Randy chuckled as he walked in, sitting next to Mary.

"You don't have any of your consoles with you right now, do you," Celeste pouted.

"No, all of my Nintendos are back at home," Mary shrugged.

"Do you really have all of them?" Heath Slater walked into the room, raising an eyebrow.

"I even have the Famicom systems, just to make sure I have all of the Mario games," Mary nodded with a smirk. "What's up, Ginger Snaps?"

Heath shrugged, "just trying to occupy myself. I'm between gimmicks."

"Ahh yes," Randy laughed with a nod, "the days when you can party all night and sleep during the show."

"I never thought of that," Heath chuckled. "Well, I'm just passing through. I'll see everyone around," he waved as he quickly slipped back out of the room.

Mary raised an eyebrow at her friends, "okay, I just got a really creepy vibe from him."

"You don't think..." Celeste blinked.

"Wow, I really didn't think we had anyone on the roster so dumb," Mary laughed, shaking her head.

"Um yeah," AJ blinked, "why would someone go out of their way to make you look like a slut, when they're interested in you?"

Mary shrugged, "maybe he assumed John wouldn't tell me and just drop my ass. Then he could swoop in and pick up the pieces."

"Only you wouldn't run to just anyone," Cody laughed as he walked into the room with Chelsea at his side, ready to go. "You'd come to us."

Mary laughed, "so that being said, let's hope that who ever is trying to split John and I up is after him. Because honestly, I wouldn't go for anyone that stupid."

"Not that anyone could separate you two," Randy nodded. "So is this everyone for our next little trip."

Mary looked around and nodded, "yup, just have to add John, and that's it."

"I'll have everything arranged so that we can leave first thing in the morning. Should we call him ahead of time?" Randy looked over to Mary.

Mary smirked, looking to Randy and Cody. "I think that one of you should call him after we land and just simply tell him that he's about to have company."

Chelsea giggled, "you're so mean."

Mary nodded, shrugging. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

**Yes, a comical filler. Trust me, it was needed. Please check out my other story "The Promise". It's a request from WWE'sFinestDiva2012. After my next update over there, I'll be posting a one shot before going back to this. So just be patient with me. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Warning my loves! This one is a real tear jerker.**

**Really didn't help that I took a break to watch (last week's) The Walking Dead while working on the scene that literally made me cry while writing it, either. - R.I.P. T-Dog (I can live without Lori :x)**

**I can pretty much guarantee this one will tug at your heart strings.**

* * *

September 5th, 2012

After landing in Tampa Cody pulled out his phone. They walked through the airport to the rental car area, finding one with a minivan so they could all travel together. The girls smiled as the guys held their bags, Randy even taking care of both AJ and Celeste's items for the occasion. This surprised everyone, but they weren't about to question it. If Randy was in a good mood, then they would take advantage.

"Hey bro, how are you feeling?" Cody smiled into the phone. There was a pause from Cody, indicating that Ted was responding. "Are you up for some visitors?" He chuckled, "well, we just landed. We'll be there in about ten minutes." He looked up with a smile after ending the call, "we can head right over."

Mary giggled, "see? We didn't have to warn him ahead of time."

"It was almost like as if he's been waiting for us to come down," Cody laughed, wrapping his free arm around Chelsea's waist.

"I'll admit, we should have done this a lot sooner. I just didn't want to take him to see Daniel when we all went. It's just that Ted deserves to know that I've seen him," Mary sighed as the made their way to their rental van.

Everyone was silent in response. No words were really needed, they all agreed with and understood Mary's reasoning. She had been through a lot, and she was dealing with all of it on her own terms. It was the best way to handle everything, and everyone that had just piled into the minivan with her would be there for every step of the process of Mary's healing.

John offered to drive this time around, which put Mary in the passenger seat. Cody and Chelsea sat in the second row captain's chairs, leaving Randy between AJ and Celeste in the back. Once they had gotten on the road, Mary slowly turned to look at Cody. "Oh Cooooooodles," she taunted him in a sing-song voice, grinning.

"Yes, Mary Mary," he chuckled.

"If I tell you something now, can you be just as surprised as you would be in the ring if I didn't?" she bounced in her seat a little.

"I did mean to ask you who you were supposed to be talking to when I came up to you after my match," Cody glared at his on-screen girlfriend, earning giggles from the rest of girls in the vehicle.

"'Twas your daddy, m'dear," Mary smirked as she reached across the center console placing her hand just above John's knee.

"You didn't..." Cody's face fell.

"He's coming to visit us on SmackDown next week," Mary turned to look back at him. "I plan on taking advantage while he's there, too."

"And do what, exactly?" Cody raised an eyebrow.

"The 'Crazy Chicks' need a fourth corner. No offense, Chels," Mary smiled at her sister.

"None taken, sis," Chelsea shrugged. "I'm not that type of performer, anyway."

"So who are we recruiting?" AJ's face lit up.

"Paige!" Mary pumped her fist into the air.

"Oh she's perfect," Celeste grinned, high fiving AJ in front of Randy, merely an inch in front of his face.

"Annnnnd," Mary grinned. "I've decided on our new entrance theme for when we come out together. Pending your approval, of course, ladies."

"What is it?" AJ perked up.

"You've heard of ZZ Ward, right?" Mary smiled.

"She founds vaguely familiar..." AJ, along with Celeste, began to think.

"Oh you mean the girl who did that song that Pretty Little Liars used a few months ago?" Chelsea looked up at her sister. "You asked me how long I'd stay by your side. So I answered with only just one reply," she sang.

Mary nodded, joining her for the chorus, "Till the casket drops. Till my dying day. Till my heartbeat stops. Till my legs just break. Whoa, oh, whoa,whoa, whoa, oh, whoa, whoa, oh. Till the casket drops."

"Damn!" Cody laughed, clapping after they finished. "Who needs an iPod when we've got girls with chops like that?"

"And remember," John looked to his friend in the rearview mirror. "They can rap too."

"I never did get my feud with Zack," Cody pouted playfully.

"Well, you're both about to get into the tag scene. Maybe you could use that," Mary shrugged. "Anyway, she has another song called 'Better Off Dead' that with the proper light show, can be very intimidating."

"Is that what you were working on last night?" John tilted his head as he turned into Ted's driveway.

"Nope," she shook her head. "I was making a 'Mody' video to 'Jerkface Loser Boyfriend'," she smirked, turning to Cody as John cut the engine.

"Which I totally deserve after last night," Cody laughed, shaking his head.

"Wait... you were doing what?" John blinked as they got out of the van.

"I make 'fan' videos," she explained, using air quotes, "and put them on YouTube."

"Oh jeez, you don't," Randy shook his head as they began making their way to the door.

"I do. Unfortunately, the board discovered my channel, but they agreed to let me keep it on the grounds that I keep everything canon," Mary shrugged.

"I may be a little biased, but you do make the best PunkLee videos," AJ looked up with a pout.

Mary sighed, bringing an arm around her friend, "we'll get him back, baby."

"I had a feeling that wasn't all storyline," Ted frowned from his door way, causing Mary's head to snap her head up.

Before anyone else got a chance to greet their injured friend, Mary rushed over to him, immediately wrapping her arms around him tightly. No one said anything as they all walked inside after Ted moved himself and Mary over enough to let everyone in.

Randy closed the door once everyone was inside. He looked over to John, who's head was hung. He swallowed visibly, bringing a hand to his male best friend's shoulder. "Just give her a minute," he told John quietly.

"We should have known seeing Ted would bring back memories after everything," AJ whispered.

"But we knew that she needed to face every part of it," Cody nodded.

"Is someone going to tell me what I've obviously missed?" Ted sighed, rubbing Mary's back. "She hasn't clung to me like this since..." his eyes widened as he looked around to his friends.

Everyone else in the room looked away as Mary slowly looked up at her former boyfriend, biting her lip. "We went to see him a few months ago, Teddy Bear."

Ted froze up, slowly pulling away from Mary. His own memories from the night she was attacked now flooding his mind. Without saying anything, he walked into his living room, sitting down in the middle of his couch.

"He can't be mad..." Cody started, only to have Chelsea bring a finger to his lips.

"He's not mad, Cody," Celeste swallowed visibly, feeling compelled to walk into the living room, sitting next to Ted.

Mary's eyes filled with tears, "in all these years, I never once stopped to think that what happened to me had any effect on Ted. At least not any more than what you guys show."

"Mare, you know that it kills all of us on the inside to know such a thing happened to you," Randy swallowed hard as he pushed John into her direction. "But Ted was there. He was a sweet guy to begin with."

Mary nodded with a sigh as she slipped an arm around John's waist. "He was only thirteen. He saw me naked and covered with bruises. Someone like Ted has to be traumatized by that."

"He's a virgin," Cody stated softly, not looking up from Chelsea's shoulder.

"What?" Mary bit her lip. "I mean, I know he hasn't had a serious girlfriend lately..."

Cody shook his head, "he keeps using the 'I haven't found the right girl yet' excuse."

Everyone filed into the kitchen, standing around the island in the middle of the room, leaving Ted and Celeste in the living room. Mary sighed, laying her head on John's chest. "God, I wish I could have somehow known."

"It's a guy thing, Mare," John sighed as he securely wrapped his arms around her. "Most of us aren't really open about our feelings. Especially when it comes to something that has to run as deep as that."

Mary looked up, kissing her boyfriend softly. "You're right babe, it just sucks. Randy's right, Teddy Bear is the sweet one. Always has been."

"Hey!" Cody pouted playfully.

"You're sweet too, Coddles," Mary giggled.

"Can I say something you probably don't want to hear at the moment?" AJ bit her lip.

"Who honey?" Mary looked over to her friend.

"John..." she sighed as he looked over to her. "Mary and Ted are going to need some alone time."

Mary swallowed hard as she felt John tense up, tightening his grip on her. He wasn't the jealous type at all. He truly trusted Mary, but for some reason something got to him when it came to Ted. "We've never talked about that night, and it's long past due. If you want either of us to get better, it needs to happen, baby."

"I know, baby," he kissed the top of her head. "I know. I guess that I just wish that I could fix you all by myself."

Mary nodded with a smile, "you've done most of the work, John. I just need this one thing with him because he is the one who was there. You're still my pilot, baby. You're the one who made me believe in love."

"I really don't know what I would have done if I were in his position," John admitted.

"You were just about to start your second year of college when it happened, John," Mary sighed through her tears. "Neither of us really even knew the other existed. I mean, sure, I had been on television by that time. I just know that I hadn't really made an impression on fans at the time."

"But you had in the locker room," Cody smiled softly. "And I don't mean that in a bad way. I know that you had already started training by then, and everyone was seriously impressed with your skills."

"Oh my early days in the locker room. The interesting side of being the child of a ring rat," she shook her head with a sigh. "I really wouldn't be surprised if Alex actually has a different father than me. Our dad was on the indie circuit in the Midwest around that time."

"She actually hit on my dad while we were dating," Ted walked into the room, biting his lip. Celeste was by his side, holding his hand.

Mary spun around, securing John's arms around her waist as she leaned into his chest. "I'm really not surprised at all. I have no idea how someone who has absolutely no maternal instinct and is always so quiet could possibly be such a whore around wrestlers."

"She wasn't any better after you left, sis," Chelsea sighed. "However, _that_ is a different story entirely."

Cody gave his girlfriend a squeeze, "but you have us now. Everything is better." He looked up to Ted, "you okay, man?"

Ted nodded with a sigh, "I'm sorry that I broke down like that. I really didn't know that all of this was still effecting me that much."

Mary nodded, biting her lip. "I know _exactly_ how you feel. The night we saw him was horrible. I played it cool in front of him, but after we got to the hotel, I cracked."

"But John was right there for you, right?" Ted swallowed visibly.

Mary smiled softly, "at the same time, it was the best night of my life." She bit her lip as John kissed the top of her head.

Ted took a deep breath, nodding. He noticed that Mary and John appeared a bit more intimate with one another, so he was able to conclude one of the things that hadn't been offered to him yet during his absense. "So John is divorced, and he and Mary are open about their love. Cody is dating Mary's little sister. Mary and Cody are back together in the ring and fighting over video games. Mary has a stalker who is with the company. And AJ..." he turned to the young Diva, "you and Punk are over?"

AJ shook her head, "not officially. We had to cool it on screen because of my new role, but ever since Heyman came into the picture, our relationship has suffered."

Mary nodded, "he's changed. I barely talk to him anymore."

Ted blinked, "right... so did I miss anything?"

"We're friends with Beth and Nattie now," Mary shrugged.

"My marriage almost ended," Randy stated casually.

"Why? What did you do?" Ted tilted his head, squeezing Celeste's hand.

"Mary," Randy shrugged, causing everyone else to widen their eyes and sputter.

After a few moments of silence, Ted finally spoke, shaking his head, "you what? When?"

"Um yeah... I was just wondering the same thing," Cody looked back and forth to each of his friends.

"This is why we don't do drugs, kids," Mary sighed. "It was before Alanna came along."

"Is that what caused all of the commotion that night when I ended up going home with you?" Ted blinked, looking over to Randy.

Randy nodded, biting his lip. "Can we be done with it?"

"Yeah, of course," Ted swallowed visibly. "Did you ever find out who overheard?"

"One anyway," Mary nodded. "It was Fox, but she's being really cool about it. My stalker saw us at the time, but we don't know if they actually heard anything."

"So as much as we love and miss Ted," AJ spoke up a few moments later. "Why are we here, Mare?"

"Well..." Mary took a deep breath as John rubbed her side. "I've been seeing a psychiatrist. They've got me on Prozac at the moment. It turns out that I'm not hiding anything so much as I've been repressing a number of fears this entire time."

"So that's where you really were after SummerSlam?" AJ bit her lip.

Mary nodded, "I love all of you, and despite the fact that I know on some level that you all love me and care about me deeply, I've been having trouble believing that I deserve it. Even with John. I've been having nightmares for months. Most of them involve all of you leaving me."

"That's why you don't like sleeping very much," John bit his lip, slowly pulling away from her.

"Baby..." Mary bit her lip, tears filling her eyes once more, "they're just dreams. I don't take them seriously. As soon as I wake up and see that I'm in your arms, I feel a thousand times better. You really do help me."

"Obviously not enough," John sneered. He looked up to Ted, "beer?"

Ted sighed, nodding and pointing to the refrigerator.

Tears streamed down Mary's face as John grabbed a beer and stormed out the back door to Ted's deck. AJ walked over to her, wrapping her arms around the other girl tightly. "You men all suck with all of this not wanting to express your feelings bullshit," Mary laughed through a sob. "This sucks."

"I don't get it," Chelsea sighed. "John was fine until he saw Ted and Mary together. He even laughs at everything between her and Randy."

Ted nodded, "I get that he is deeply in love with her, but I wouldn't wish sharing this with her on anyone."

"Speaking of..." Mary looked over to Ted, biting her lip. "We should probably talk."

Ted nodded, holding his hand out to her. "Feel free to make yourselves at home, everyone."

Mary took his hand, letting him lead her up to his room. They sat down on his bed, leaving the door open. "How are you doing, Teddy Bear?" she smiled softly.

"This was the first time I actually had a flashback about that night," he sighed.

She nodded, "the day that John met Marcus he said that he now knew what happened to me. I just... really never thought of it until that moment. Most of it was a blur to me. All I fully remember is that it happened, and that you were the one who saved me."

"I think that I really loved you on some level," Ted took a deep breath, looking over to his middle school girlfriend. "Seeing what I saw really did something to me. Like, I didn't understand what I was feeling at the time. It was just pure, raw emotion. Part of me wanted to kill him right on the spot with my bare hands, but protecting you was an immediate priority." He paused for a few moments, letting his tears fall. "I should have been there sooner," he slammed his fist down on his bed.

Mary blinked, swallowing hard. "Ted... it's not your fault."

"But I should have been paying more attention! I should have been there right after his match. I could have stopped it from ever happening. I could have saved you, Mare Bear," his voice cracked with that last sentence.

Tears spilled down Mary's cheeks once more, "Teddy Bear..."

"He took something from you, Maryanne. He took something that no man has any right to take from a woman without permission," he raised his voice a little, not realizing how emotional he was getting.

At about that time, John appeared in the doorway. He stayed silent. He had heard everything from Mary telling Ted that it wasn't his fault. As much as he didn't like it, he knew that they needed to get all of this out, and he wasn't about to stand in their way.

"Only physically. He didn't take _me_ away from me. The first time with Randy legitimately felt like a first time is supposed to feel like. So what if some douchebag already broke the seal? There are so many things that can do that these days," Mary bit her lip, wiping a few tears from her cheek.

"He got you pregnant," Ted whispered, biting his lip.

Mary nodded, "and look at Marcus. He's amazing, and I don't regret having him for anything. Everything happens for a reason, Ted. You have _got_ to believe that. So yeah, we were supposed to be meeting up to hang out after his match, but we never said _directly_ after. You weren't the only one there that night either, honey. Anyone could have walked in and stopped it before it even happened, but that's not how things played out. It happened. We can't turn back time and change that."

Ted nodded slowly, he finally accepted what happened, but it would take a while to really get over it. "I'm sorry, Mary. I guess that I didn't know that I felt like this."

"There's nothing wrong with repressing something like this," Mary sighed, glancing up at John with a small smile. She had sensed his presence from the moment that he was close, but she chose to not acknowledge it. "I did. I buried it deep inside for years until John's love brought it out of me. He's been so patient with me all of these months. I don't know if I could express how grateful I am for everything he's done for me."

"I'm sure he knows, Mare Bear," Ted smiled softly.

"I do," John stated softly, finally announcing his presence.

Ted quickly wiped away his tears, backing up to leave some space between Mary and himself on the bed.

Mary giggled softly as John walked over to her, leaning down to kiss her softly. "I'm sorry, baby. I've never gotten jealous before. Even after everything that has been thrown in my face. Just the thought of somehow, someway maybe I could have been the one there to save you. You know, despite it being completely impossible. Looking at things logically, I'm just glad that someone did. Not every girl is so lucky."

Mary nodded as she leaned into John, sitting at the foot of Ted's bed. "I love you so much, John. I may have been through hell, but everything began to get better once Marcus started calling you 'dad'. My life really started to come together when we became a family."

John smiled, wiping at his own tears. "I love you too, Mary. I want to be there for everything for the rest of our lives. You and Marcus are everything to me." He looked over to Ted, "and I want to thank you for being there for her. Not just that time, but every time. I know that the two of you have been close ever since then."

Ted smiled softly, "I've always cared about her. I believe we would be this close even if we had not dated."

Mary's lips curled up into a smirk as she noticed that conversation had come to a close, so she could bring up a new topic. "So do you like her, Teddy Bear?"

"Who?" Ted blinked, blushing a bit as he looked away.

"Our only single, female friend," John chuckled, looking over to Ted.

"Well, the thought has crossed my mind," Ted admitted. "But she's probably not into me."

Mary shrugged, "if she's got taste, she wants you."


	22. Chapter 22

September 10th, 2012 – Monday Night RAW in Montreal.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Papa Bear?" Mary sighed as she looked over Jerry Lawler's script for the night. She didn't exactly advertise it, but over the years, the man known to the WWE Universe as "The King" had taken on the role of father figure to the Diva.

"It's not like I haven't been wrestling this entire time, Mary. I _do_ compete regularly. Just not in the WWE. Plus, I have a feeling that you know damn well that all you have to do is say the word, and Randy will make damn sure nothing drastic will happen to me," Jerry chuckled as Randy walked up.

Mary shook her head, "I just have this feeling. I can't describe it."

Randy smirked, "would it make you feel better if I promised to keep my eye on him?"

She just pouted, batting her eyelashes.

Jerry laughed, shaking his head. "She's good at that, isn't she?"

"You have no idea," Randy shook his head.

"I just really don't trust Heyman. I mean, after everything Punk has been doing lately," she sighed, running her fingers through her hair, exposing the hair growing back in after being shaved off over a month before.

"Mary," Randy sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If either of them do anything to actually harm Jerry, I promise I will be right on that. I can even have John waiting behind the curtain just in case."

After thinking for a few moments, Mary finally nodded as John walked up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist. "What's going on here?"

"Your girlfriend is just worried about her Papa Bear," Jerry grinned.

John nodded, kissing the side of Mary's head. "How scripted is the match?"

Randy looked up, "well I'm going to be voted for in the RAW Active match against Punk. Unless somehow everyone wants him to go up against Jerry again. Then at the end, Ziggler is going to come out to gang up on me."

Jerry nodded, "then I'll help Randy going into commercial. During the commercial AJ will come out and say that we can just have a tag match. After that, we're not really sure what is going to happen."

"Well I guess that means I'll be ready to run out and jump in if I'm needed," John smiled, running his hand along Mary's side.

Jerry shook his head, "I'm suddenly glad I'm not actually her father."

John laughed, "sorry Jerry." He looked to Mary, "do we have time?"

She shook her head with a smirk, trying to hide the fact that her body had just tensed up and made a quick, believable excuse, "I'm doing commentary during the Divas match."

"Now you have to make sure she behaves for that," John smirked at Jerry.

"Not even you can completely control her, John," Randy winked at his best friend.

"Fair enough," John nodded.

"I'll see you out there in a bit, Jerry," Mary smiled, walking back to catering with John and Randy.

…

Just before his match, Mary ran into Punk in the locker room area. She sighed, rolling her eyes and heading into the other direction, only for him to grab her shoulder and spin her around.

"Are you just going to keep avoiding me?" he frowned.

She just shrugged, glaring at him.

"Now you're not talking to me, either?" he crossed his arms over his chest.

"If I do, it's only going to hurt more," she sighed heavily.

"What is? C'mon Mary, I consider you a friend, and you know that is hard to come by with me. Why won't you tell me what's going on?"

She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "What's the point?"

"What do you mean? Is your boyfriend suddenly more important to you than trying to fix a friendship?"

"I don't even have my brother right now. What's one less friend?" she threw her arms up in the air in frustration.

"You mean more to me than that, Mary. I thought that we were beyond not getting along with each other's friends," he frowned.

A single tear traveled down her cheek as she looked into his eyes. "I just want my friend back," she stated softly, pushing past him.

He spun around, "Mary, I'm right here! Nothing has changed." He paused, rubbing his chin, "has it?"

What they didn't know was that the entire conversation had been filmed. Someone in the control room decided to cash in on the fact that they hadn't mentioned any names and made it into an app exclusive clip. Mary continued walking, hoping to find an secluded place to calm herself down. She found an equipment box to sit on. At that point, she just wanted to be left alone until it was time to go out for Cody's match.

A bit later, Ted was checking out the RAW Active portion of the WWE app on his phone during the match of Kane and Daniel Bryan against the Prime Time Players. His eyes widened as he watched the video of the conversation that had occurred shortly before. He looked over to his best friend, swallowing hard. "We need to find Mary."

Cody blinked as he finished lacing up his boots. "What's wrong?"

"She talked to Punk. It's on the app. Something doesn't feel right," Ted bit his lip.

Cody nodded, "let's go." They made their way out of the locker room in search for Mary. They asked around to everyone that they saw until someone finally told them that they saw her near where the ambulance was parked just in case something were to happen. As they walked up to her, Ted cued up the video once more, restarting it for both Mary and Cody to see.

Mary blinked, her eyes widening. "That wasn't scripted. I mean, we can easily throw it into storyline, but I had no idea we were being filmed."

Just as one of the guys was about to respond, they heard a commotion heading their way. They all looked on as they saw someone on a stretcher being rushed to the ambulance. Whether it be colleague or fan, they were all immediately concerned.

As the the medics and the fallen victim came closer to them, Mary's heart dropped into her stomach. "Jerry!" she went to rush over to him, just to be stopped by her friends.

"You three may want to clear out," one of the medics told them.

"Can you please just tell us what happened?" Ted pleaded with the man, whom he vaguely recognized.

The medic, who had been with the company for twenty years, looked from Ted to Mary, remembering them from the night of Mary's attack. His face softened, "he collapsed at the announce table. We're thinking it was a heart attack."

Ted nodded as he and Cody pulled Mary back toward the locker room area in search of John. Just as they reached their destination, AJ and Hunter were gathering everyone together. Ted handed Mary off to John. She immediately clung to her boyfriend, burying her face into his t-shirt.

AJ frowned, "she saw him, didn't she?"

Cody nodded, "she just happened to be hanging out in the path they took the stretcher to the ambulance."

Hunter nodded with a sigh, he had been around long enough to know about Mary's relationship with Jerry. "It's decision making time, everyone. Do we tell the booth to start airing classic matches?"

Mary looked up, quickly shaking her head. "The show must go on, Hunter. We can do this."

Hunter smiled softly, "if anyone feels like they can't do their job, let one of us know. We'll find a substitute as soon as possible."

The Superstars and Divas all nodded, some murmuring their agreement to Mary's "the show must go on" sentiment.

As everyone went their separate ways, John kissed the top of Mary's head. "Thanks for finding her. Any specific reason she wandered off?"

Ted nodded with a sigh, "she had a little chat with Punk before his match. It ended up on the app."

Punk just happened to be within earshot when Ted gave his explanation to John. He spun around, walking over to the group of friends. "What chat?"

"So you didn't know about it either?" Ted raised an eyebrow as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and found the video once more to show to Punk.

Punk shook his head as he watched the video. "I swear, I had no idea they filmed this. It was supposed to be an actual personal conversation."

Mary sighed, motioning for her remaining friends who had stuck around to look around to see if there were any cameras or spies nearby. Everyone did a quick look around, making sure the coast was clear. Once their privacy was confirmed, Mary took a deep breath. "Maybe my stalker isn't a Superstar or Diva..."

"You're being stalked?" Punk swallowed visibly, his eyes going wide.

Mary nodded, biting her lip. "It's someone who knows about John and I, who happens to not want us together."

"I guess that takes him off of the list?" Randy smirked.

Mary rolled her eyes, "he's still in love with AJ."

"Who says... No, I'm not," Punk quickly sputtered.

"We all know it, Punk," Celeste laughed.

"Yeah, why do you think I flirted with her a few weeks back in the ring?" John chuckled.

Punk's eyes narrowed, "I don't think I've ever..."

Mary smiled softly, "do you really want to run away from your feelings, Phil?"

Punk hung his head, "she's GM."

Cody rolled his eyes, "yeah, on screen. As long as you keep it on the down low, you can still be with her."

"Are you guys sure?" the WWE Champion bit his lip.

"Do you realize how many people think that Cody and I are actually together? Even a number of people in the locker room believe it," Mary giggled. "Yet I'm with John and Cody is with my sister."

John nodded, "it will be hard, but you can make it work. I know these girls. They'll help you if you want."

The Chicago native took a deep breath, nodding. "I do want to be with her."

…

After a lot of protesting and repeatedly asking if she was sure, Mary joined Cody at ringside later on in the program. By that time, Michael Cole had given up on continuing the commentary and just let the performers do the show on their own. For most of the match, Mary was able to do her job. She yelled at Cody, got frustrated with him for eyeing Rey's mask, all while trying to hold herself together. It wasn't until she glanced over to the empty chair where Jerry was supposed to be sitting. This hit her a little harder than actually seeing his lifeless body on a stretcher. A small part of her had hoped that Jerry would immediately bounce back and be right back in the seat where he belonged. Her shoulders slumped as her mood immediately changed, both of the men in the ring noticed this. They slowed their moves while discreetly asking her if she was alright. She motioned for them to continue their match as she broke kayfabe and walked over to the announcer's desk. She sat down in Jerry's chair, looking over to Michael. The man whom she normally didn't get along with nodded sympathetically, taking her hand and squeezing it. For the first time that night, Mary broke down and cried. She laid her head down, resting her forehead on her arm as she sobbed softly. Michael switched hands, still holding her right hand with his own while turning to rub her back soothingly. She was scripted to pull Cody out of the way as Rey was about to hit him with the "619", but thankfully The Miz came out to distract Rey instead so that Cody could hit "Cross Rhodes" and win, like he was meant to. It turned out that AJ was watching the match like a hawk and once she noticed that Mary had left her position, she immediately went to Mike Mizanin herself and called for the immediate script change. When Cody's music started to play, Mary slowly sat up, composing herself. She was back in character as Cody took the Intercontinental title and called it his "baby". She shook her head, a bit of anger flaring up in her eyes as she glared up at him in the ring. She walked around the ring shaking hands and giving high fives as she made her way back up the entrance ramp and behind the curtain.

Mary walked backstage to be greeted by her smiling female best friend. "If it is any consolation, you held together longer than we thought you would," AJ hugged her tightly.

Mary smiled softly, returning the hug, "I guess that I can thank you for Miz saving the match."

AJ nodded as the three men who were just in the ring walked up to them. "I figured he'd be the perfect person to throw in at the moment."

"And I was more than happy to do it," Miz grinned, patting Mary's shoulder. "I know you ladies tend to show your emotions rather openly."

Mary shrugged as John and Bret Hart walked up. "I'm close to everyone that has been in the company since that summer."

"You mean..." Miz started, only to be elbowed by John in the ribs. "Sorry."

Mary shook her head, laughing softly. "It's okay, baby. I'm getting better about it being mentioned."

John nodded, "are you going to be all right during my interview?"

She nodded with a smile, "you know I have other people to take care of me while you talk to one of my idols for fifteen minutes. Speaking of... Hey Bret," she turned to the older gentleman.

"I'll have to admit, I almost didn't recognize you," Bret smiled, hugging her. "So you're actually in a relationship with John?"

Mary nodded with a giggle, "thankfully Cody and I will be ending things for good on Sunday. That way John and I can transition our real life relationship into the ring." She kissed John a few times as Bret's music started to play. "I should get ready to leave."

John nodded, looking to Cody. "Just... watch her for me."

Cody nodded with a smile, "of course." He brought one arm around Mary and the other around AJ as they walked off, heading to the locker room area to get ready to leave for the night with Miz right behind them.

…

Punk had left with Heyman that night, meaning he hadn't bothered talking to AJ yet. Which was just as well for Mary. She requested that all of their friends gather once again before leaving for Toronto for SmackDown in the morning. They had a case of beer in the room's mini fridge, but no one bothered drinking that night. John and Mary had gotten a room with a king sized bed and most of the friends sat on it together. John sat up against the pillows with Mary's head in his lap. AJ curled up at Mary's legs. Chelsea sat next to John with Cody on the other side of her. Ted and Celeste sat semi-close to one another, at everyone's feet. Randy looked around on the bed, shaking his head before sitting in a nearby chair.

"I miss my brother," Mary said softly with a sigh after nearly ten minutes of silence.

"I just think that it's fucked up," Randy looked over to her. "I know that he knows how close you are to Jerry. If it were Becky, I'd be right by her side in a heartbeat."

"He used to be my best friend," Mary bit her lip. "Then we got separated due to being in different promotions for a few years."

"Almost makes you wonder if you're an aunt by now," Chelsea sighed, reaching down to play with her sister's hair.

Mary nodded, "I probably am. I just don't get how anyone can live like that."

Before anyone could respond, there was a knock on the door. Randy stood up, "I'll get it. You all just... keep being cozy." The girls all giggled as Randy went over to the door, opening it.

Celeste leaned into Ted as Zack, Stephen, and Rey entered the room. Ted kissed the side of her head, not saying anything. This caused the other girls to all look at each other, smirking.

Mary clapped, grinning. "Everyone's here now!"

Rey nodded, "I figured you were having a quiet night."

Mary nodded, "not in the mood to go out or drink."

"Aye lass, same here. As surprising as that is from me," Stephen chuckled, causing everyone to laugh.

"It's going to be somber for a while. Mary's insisting on staying glued to her phone for updates," John sighed.

"How close are you to him?" Zack bit his lip.

"She calls him Papa Bear," Randy frowned, sitting back down.

Mary nodded, "he and Vince have always been grandpas to Marcus."

"But this is the King, lass," Stephen smiled softly as he and the other men who recently entered the room found a place to sit down. "He's going to pull through this. We all know it."

Mary took a deep breath as "Chain Gang is the Click" started playing on her phone. "What time is it?"

"It's only eleven here," Rey smiled. "That means it's nine at home."

"Oh good. That means he's not in trouble for staying up too late," Mary giggled as she unlocked her phone and turned on the speakerphone. "Hey sweetie. You're on speakerphone."

"_Hi mom. I just wanted to check up on you while I get ready for bed. We heard what happened to Grandpa Jerry._"

"Were you watching?" Mary bit her lip.

"_Yes. I wanted to call you during Uncle Cody's match, but I knew you wouldn't have your phone on you at the time._"

"Yeah, I didn't," Mary smiled. "I've been staring at my phone since we got to the hotel, though."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line, "_is dad the only one with you?_"

"Nope," Mary giggled. "In fact, your Uncle Alex is the only one who isn't here with us."

"_It would figure that he's out trying to get laid after what happened._"

"Marcus Elijah!" Mary's eyes widened as everyone else in the room laughed.

"_Oh c'mon, mom. You were the one who made sure that I knew about sex, and taught me to be smart about it. It's not like I'm doing it myself._"

"Well, I guess that's true," Mary shrugged. "Plus you _are_ fifteen. I'm sure a bunch of the kids at your school are sexually active." She smirked, knowing how he'd react to that term.

"_Mooooom,_" the teenager groaned on the other end of the line. "_You know how awkward it is to hear it being called that._"

"I know," the young mother grinned, proud of herself. "That's why I do it."

"You mean saying 'sexually active'?" AJ looked up at her best friend.

"_Yes, Aunt AJ,_" Marcus shuddered. "_I know there are plenty of dirtier ways to put it, but that just sounds wrong._"

"I almost want to have a son now, just to be able to torture him when he gets to this age," Randy chuckled.

"_No you don't, Uncle Randy. This sucks._"

Mary shrugged, "plus, I give all of you full permission to torture Marcus. It's fun."

"_Hate you,_" the teen muttered.

"No you don't. You love me. How many of your friends have cool parents like us?" Mary laughed.

Just then there was a yawn on the other end of Mary's phone, causing her to smile.

"Geez, you're just like your mom, kid," John teased.

"Are you kidding?" Mary laughed. "With how emotional I am tonight, be surprised I'm not already sleeping."

"_I should probably get going. Wrestling has been taking a lot out of me lately._"

"We're all going to have to get together and go to one of his meets one of these days," Cody grinned.

"_Wouldn't hurt. They all know who I am and everything._"

"We'll see, baby. Now get some sleep." Mary smiled through a yawn of her own.

"_Alright. I love you, mom. Good night, everyone._"

"What no love for me?" John chuckled.

"_Nope,_" Marcus laughed through a yawn. "_I don't love you, dad. I'm just using you to make sure you keep my mom happy._"

"Really Marcus?" Mary laughed. "Did you just go back to the topic of sex?"

"_Maybe? I don't know. I'm super tired._"

"Then I'm letting you go, son. Have a good night, I'll talk to you soon." She ended the call and covered her face. "Did that really just happen?"

"I think he gets it from me," Chelsea giggled. "I seriously used to talk to someone as I was in bed and half asleep. I wouldn't know what I was saying most of the time. My friends got used to it and would tell me when I needed to hang up and go to sleep."

Mary nodded, "yeah, my brain shuts down when I'm tired, as well." They continued chatting until they eventually all fell asleep in the positions they were sitting in. It would be awkward in the morning, but with what had happened that night, they would deal with it.


	23. Chapter 23

**I apologize ahead of time if it feels like a ton of things happen all at once here. I tried to separate the occurances as much as possible, but a lot seemed to land on this night.**

* * *

September 16th, 2012 – Night of Champions in Boston.

The rest of the week had gone considerably better. Dusty came to SmackDown and completely humiliated Cody in the middle of the ring while Mary laughed, leaning up against the ropes. Dusty told his son that he had a wonderful, beautiful woman who loved him, and that he was a fool for putting so much focus onto other things. Cody refused to listen to his father and left the ring without his 'girlfriend'. Mary just shook her head as Dusty held the ropes open for her and they linked arms, walking up the ramp together. Just after they disappeared behind the curtain, a backstage segment was shown where Eve told Cody that she had a proposition for him. However, Mary was supposed to not hear it in character as she was being comforted by Dusty. Once she and Dusty were cleared from cameras, she grinned, asking if she could steal Paige from him. Later in the week Mary, Dusty, Vince, and Saraya-Jade Bevis, better known as Paige, sat in a room together in Titan Towers. It was agreed that she would still be on the developmental roster, but allowed to make appearances and participate in tag matches with Mary, AJ, and Kaitlyn. Everyone was more than happy with this, and they could tell that it would be a lot of fun in the coming months.

After finishing up in Stamford, Mary went up to West Newbury to meet up with John. She was nervous as hell to meet his family. He told her that he told them many good things about her, and that they could tell that she made him happy, so that is what mattered most to them. She met his brothers first, who immediately treated her like family. This helped her a lot, seeing as how she had many "brothers" in her life. She quickly became comfortable with the Cena clan, which had John grinning all weekend. Except for when Mary got a call from Punk on Saturday. She walked out of the room, talking quietly, then refused to tell John what they had talked about. John trusted Mary, however he knew how devious his girlfriend could be. This made him highly suspicious of what may happen at the pay-per-view. There was talk all week about who may win the WWE Championship match. Many wanted to see John win, but most of those only wanted that to happen in order to shut Punk up. Others knew that Punk would somehow find a way to win after what he pulled at SummerSlam. After a few minutes of begging and whining Mary distracted John with sex, shutting him up for the rest of the night.

The drive to TD Garden was silent and a little on the awkward side. By the time they arrived a number of the other performers were already there, as well as most of the crew. John took a deep breath as he cut off the engine, "can I say something without it turning into something?"

"Baby, we can talk about anything. There isn't anything I won't say to you," Mary bit her lip as she looked over to her boyfriend.

He nodded, "for everything that you say that you've been through, you seem a lot stronger than what I expected. It's almost like you're numb half of the time."

"I've always been more strong willed than the average girl. I just think that growing up without a father and a having mother who was emotionally absent did something to my psyche. I can be very apathetic at times. Like... I know that I _should_ care more about what happened to me, but I'm more upset that Anthony sided with Daniel and my mother just sat by and let him kick me out of their home."

"She really didn't say anything before you left?" he bit his lip as they got out of the car, grabbing both of their bags before walking around and opening her door for her.

She nodded as she walked up to the building with him. "She didn't even say 'good-bye'. She literally just sat there while he and I screamed at each other. I was a few months shy of fifteen and five months pregnant. He accused me of lying and said that I acted inappropriately around a grown man."

"But she's your mother," he blinked a few times in shock.

"Try telling her that," Mary shrugged as they walked in together and found his way to his locker room, dropping their things off to find everyone in catering. By the time they got there, a lot of their friends were already there. Mary sat down next to Chelsea, taking her hand with a sigh. "You know I love you, right sissy?"

"Oh no," Chelsea laughed softly, "what did you do to my sister, John?"

John bit his lip, sitting next to Mary. "She was just telling me about what happened when she left home."

Chelsea nodded, hugging her older sister. "I've actually been meaning to bring something about that up." She took a deep breath, looking across the table at Ted, "I already know the answer to this, but I figure this is the best way to bring it up. Ted, you didn't happen to run away the same time that she did?"

Cody's eyes widened, "is that really what your parents told you, baby?"

Ted shook his head, "I don't know where they got that from."

Chelsea sighed, "my father told me that it was your baby, and that you the two ran away together because your dad didn't want you to mess up your life with a kid."

"I think that I'm suddenly realizing that you two could have ended up a lot more messed up than you already are," John sighed.

"You all know that Marcus kind of can't be mine... right?" Ted swallowed visibly.

Mary bit her lip, she was about to say something just as Alex walked up to them. "Oh look who's here."

Chelsea scowled as Ted brought an arm around Celeste, pulling her close. "So I guess that means that you haven't gotten shot by some slut's husband," the youngest sibling snarled at their brother.

Alex sighed, "I'm not here to fight, guys."

"So you're over your middle child syndrome? You figure that you're done getting attention from whores and remember that you have two sisters who need you?" Mary growled.

"Mary, I'm really sorry for not being there on Monday. I wasn't even in Montreal at the time," Alex bit his lip.

"You could have called," John rubbed his girlfriend's back. "Marcus did, and the rest of us were right there with her."

Alex sighed, knowing that it wasn't going to get much more pleasant than that, "mom's here."

The sisters slowly looked up to their brother in disbelief. "Please tell me that you're fucking with us, Alexander Levi Williams," Mary tensed up.

"Yeah, is she like 'Madam Rat' or something?" Chelsea scoffed. "What the hell is she doing in Boston, anyway? Doesn't she live in Atlanta?"

Alex shook his head, "she says that she left him and moved back to Chicago. She wants to talk to all of us." He looked to John and Cody, "I'd actually encourage it if you brought your boyfriends."

"Well, we weren't going otherwise," Mary stood up. John joined her, taking her hand, Cody and Chelsea right behind them. The sisters and their boyfriends followed Alex out to the parking lot where their mother was waiting with a few other ring rats already gathering for the show. Some of the rats were eyeing John and Cody as they walked up. Obviously the fact that the sisters were holding their boyfriends' hands wasn't enough to deter the sluts. So the girls looked at each other, smirking, before kissing their men passionately. They heard the girls whine and walk off. They giggled as their mother approached them.

"Well, I see that my girls have great taste," Katherine Christensen, who had taken back her maiden name after leaving her husband, eyed her daughters' boyfriends up and down. She had gotten so much work done since Mary left home that she literally looked like a plastic doll, trying to keep herself looking young for the wrestlers she intended on seducing.

"You lost your right to have any claim on me when you didn't protest when that asshole offered to take me on the road with all of those horny rookies that summer," Mary sneered.

"You had a boyfriend already and Anthony insisted that it would be all right," their mother shrugged.

Mary rolled her eyes, "I was fourteen, Teddy was barely around, and I already had tits. You _know_ how guys are. I'm surprised that nothing happened to me sooner."

"You seemed to turn out okay," her mother shrugged. "You're beautiful, successful, and you managed to land one of the hottest guys in the industry. I bet you're letting him hit it from every direction on a nightly basis," the older woman licked her lips, wiggling her eyebrows.

John and Cody dropped their jaws as their eyes widened at the comments coming out of the mouth of the woman who had given birth to the women they loved. Chelsea rolled her eyes as Alex shook his head. "You probably shouldn't have went there, mom..."

Mary's eyes darkened as she broke away from the hold that she hadn't even realized that John had on her and kicked her mother in the stomach. No one stopped her as years of being neglected finally caught up to Mary and she took advantage of the older woman being doubled over in pain and did a snap mare takeover, leaving her laid out on the pavement. Mary bent over, waving her hand in front of her face. "You can't ever see your daughters again, and you sure as _hell_ can't see your grandson." She did a "five knuckle shuffle" on her mother and got up, dusting off her shoulder. She didn't say anything as she walked away from the scene and back into the arena. John, Chelsea, and Cody were right behind them. Alex paused, debating on whether he should call an ambulance for their mother, but shrugged it off instead and followed everyone back inside. She walked back into catering, panting. "Anyone up for a beating?" She watched as all of the Divas backed away, recognizing the look in her eyes.

George Murdoch, known as Brodus Clay, took a step toward the group, hesitantly looking to John for confirmation. They were both in their street clothes, but it didn't matter. He wasn't a close friend of the group, but he still cared enough about Mary to help her out if he could. "The ring should be set up by now."

"You're in the battle royale later," John looked to the other man, "you sure you're up for this?"

Brodus nodded, "I've sparred with her before."

"But she's livid, bro," John sighed. "Her mother just made a comment about us..."

"Her own _mother_?" Brodus shook his head, "oh hell no! C'mon, girl. Let's go to the ring."

Everyone watched as Mary and Brodus left the room, but no one followed them. They all trusted Mary to blow off her steam while Brodus wouldn't do anything to harm her. Everyone sat in silence until he returned ten minutes later, favoring his left arm.

John bit his lip as he walked up to the other man. "Where is she?"

"She broke down, man," Brodus sighed. "She is crying in the middle of the ring."

John nodded, patting Brodus's right shoulder, "thanks."

Brodus nodded with a smile, "any time, Cena. Seriously, why do they still have her going against the Divas? She's world champion material."

John shrugged, "maybe someday." He made his way to the gorilla position and jogged down the entrance ramp, sliding into the ring.

Mary looked up from where she was siting with a soft smile. "Hey baby."

He stopped right in front of her, sitting down with her. "Feeling better?" he kissed her softly.

She returned the kiss, tears still streaming down her face. "Getting there."

He nodded, "well I'm going to be right here for anything you need."

Just then Stephanie walked up to the ring, she leaned over against the apron with a small smile. "Hey guys."

Mary looked up to her friend with a smile. "I swear this is high school all over again. Word travels fast."

Stephanie nodded, "we know everything. You're not going to be in any trouble, Mary. The medics checked out your sad excuse for a mother. She's got some pretty bad bruising on her ribs. You even cracked her sternum. Security got pictures of her. She's banned from ever stepping foot onto any WWE event for life. Are you going to be able to do the show tonight?"

Mary took a deep breath, "if I don't that's going to mess too many lines up. I can do this."

John hugged her tightly, "you know I love you. Nothing your mother could say could ever effect me."

"Well that was the first and only time you'll ever be meeting her. We won't have to worry about that anymore. Even if she tries to go to the media, my girl Steph here has got my back," Mary grinned, slowly standing up.

"Definitely. If she even thinks about it, we'll take her down before she even gets a chance," Stephanie nodded once more as the couple left the ring.

When they got back to John's locker room, Mary pulled out her phone, answering the texts she had received during the chaos. She told the girls where she was and looked at the one from Punk last with a smile.

Punk: We still on for tonight?

Mary giggled just as their was a knock on the door. She responded as John let their friends in.

Mary: Yes, I'm like rubber. I'll be bouncing back better than ever.

Punk: So does John-boy really not know about this? :-\

Mary: Nope. We've been suffering a bit, so I hope this helps.

AJ looked to John, raising an eyebrow. "Who the hell is she texting?"

John shrugged, "maybe your boyfriend. They're plotting something evil."

Mary looked up with a nod as she put her phone away. "He was just checking on me."

AJ sat down next to Mary with a pout. "I think he's actually talking to you more than me now."

Mary grinned, leaning over and whispering something into the other girl's ear.

"Oooh, you _are_ evil," AJ giggled. "I like it."

"All these secrets," John shook his head.

Mary smiled at her boyfriend, "I'm just being a little naughty, I promise."

"Can you at least tell me if I'll like it?" John pouted playfully, tilting his head at his girlfriend.

"John... that's just going to make me want to jump you right here in front of everybody," she licked her lips.

Ted blinked, swallowing visibly, "would you really..."

Mary laughed, looking over to her former boyfriend, "you really did miss out on a lot in my life."

"That didn't answer my question, Mare Bear," he retorted teasingly.

"I once got fucked by Randy up against the wall in a club. No one really paid attention," Mary shrugged.

"That's so many levels of different, Maryanne," John smirked.

Mary nodded with a grin, "to answer the question, no. What happens between John and I is all very private, and it will always stay that way."

"That... helps..." Ted looked down as Celeste comforted him, the other girls giggling.

"Awww, Teddy Bear," Mary said in a baby voice. "You sure you want to become a regular part of all of this?"

Ted nodded, taking a deep breath, "I just feel like there are things that I don't understand yet."

"I had AJ turned out before she slid her card," Mary smirked. "It's just a state of mind. I live freely."

Ted smiled, "it does seem like a breath of fresh air to just speak so freely."

"Exactly," Mary grinned, checking her phone. "Um... we should start getting changed and stuff."

AJ pouted playfully, clinging to Mary. "I don't wanna!"

"But you have to, sexy," Mary giggled. "Go rock that power suit. Be a mini Steph."

"But..." AJ started to protest, but was cut off by Mary kissing her passionately. No one said anything before they broke apart moments later. "Okay fine," AJ got up and walked out of the room.

Cody stood there silent for a few moments as Mary and Celeste smirked. "Okay, Chels. We gotta go," he quickly pulled his girlfriend out of the room.

"Okay yeah," Ted choked on his words. "Feeling very free now."

"Need me to relax you before the show, baby," Celeste pouted playfully.

"Are you two official yet?" Mary tilted her head skeptically.

"Well..." Ted bit his lip. "Not exactly."

Mary glared at Celeste, who sighed. "She's right, Ted."

Ted smiled at Mary, nodding before turning to Celeste. "I really like you, and I'd like to see where this might go."

Celeste grinned, kissing him. "I like you, too. Now do you want me to help you out?"

Ted blushed, nodding. "Bye Mary. John," he nodded to the other man.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	24. Chapter 24

******Here's the rest of NoC!**

******Also, many apologies! I had a computer die on me, so I wasn't able to type anything up for a little over a week. :(**

* * *

Once they were alone, Mary grinned at John. "I love you."

He sat down next to her, pouting. "You just cheated on me in front of our friends."

"Yeah, in front of ___you_, as well," she shrugged.

"Do you kiss her like that on any sort of regular basis?" he swallowed visibly.

Mary shook her head with a smile, "no, of course not. It's not the first time we've kissed on the mouth, but first time like ___that_."

He took a deep breath, nodding. "I guess that I can handle that."

"Did you like it, baby? Ted and Cody obviously did," she smirked.

"I have to admit, I love how quickly Cody caved," he started rubbing her thigh.

She nodded with a grin, "I think that this is the only time I'm going to be okay with the thought of my little sister having sex."

He leaned over, whispering huskily into her ear, "I did like it, Maryanne."

"We have to make it quick," Mary grinned as she pulled her shirt over her head. "Well... quick for you."

John nodded, removing the rest of their clothing. This wasn't going to be a regular love making session for them. It was fast and a little rough. Which was good for Mary. Despite saying that she had all of the crazy stuff out of her system, she still liked to break away from simple missionary position every once in a while. She was going to have bruises on her sides from where he gripped onto her hips while she was on top, but she would wear them with pride. When they finished, Mary saw that they had ten minutes before she and Cody needed to meet up to film a segment to take place before his match. They showered together, just finishing up as there was a knock on the door.

"You better hurry up and finish," Cody called out from the other side of the door.

John laughed as he walked over to the door in just his shorts, his short hair still wet. He opened the door, shaking his head as he let the other man inside.

Cody smirked as he walked into the room. "Is she okay?" He knew that Mary had been in a good mood when he had parted ways with them earlier, but her mood had been fluctuating a lot lately.

John swallowed visibly, sighing. "She's better. She's doing her hair right now."

"The bright side is that she's supposed to be emotional on camera tonight. I just hope that..." Cody shook his head. "She's a great actress. She'll be fine."

"You sure you're in love with her sister?" John tilted his head.

Cody nodded, "very. It's just... it's hard."

John nodded, biting his lip. "At least we have a better understanding now."

"I didn't want to believe she could honestly be that bad," Cody sighed, referring to the girls' mother.

"Tell me about it. I just want to wrap Mary in my arms now and never let her go now," John took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

"You do know that I'd never let us live our life like that, right baby?" Mary smirked as she walked over to them. She was wearing a pair of tie-dyed jean shorts with her cut up Cody t-shirt, this time with safety pins down the sides. She walked over to John, making sure that her shorts were hanging down just enough to show that she was wearing a pair of pink trunks.

John tilted his head, kissing her softly. "Since when did you have trunks?"

Mary grinned, turning around and pulling her shorts down to show both men the backside of the trunks. They were a pair of specially made pink "U No C Me" trunks.

"Very nice," John nodded. "That's the next best thing to getting my name tattooed to your ass."

"Maybe after put a ring on it," she grinned with a wink as she took Cody's hand, pulling him out of the room so they could start the night. They walked down the hall, getting ready to film their first segment of the night, stopping in front of a couple of cameras. "You are going to do great, baby." She grinned, kissing Cody softly. "I just know that you're going to win."

Just then, The Miz walked up to them with a scoff. "No really, what are you still doing with him?" he shook his head in disgust. "And what makes you think that ___he _is going to win?"

Mary smirked, eying the Intercontinental title belt. "Things have a way of... falling into place." She stated vaguely before walking away with Cody, ending the segment.

As they were making their way to the Gorilla position, they were stopped by Eve, who was biting her lip. "Look, I know that you and I have never gotten along, but I just want to make sure that you know that this storyline isn't my idea."

Mary giggled, "it's more my idea." She paused, taking a deep breath, "and you're... sort of apologizing for the wrong thing."

The other Diva blinked, looking to them questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"We're not dating, Eve. Never were," Cody chuckled.

Mary nodded, "I wanted to end things for good so that I could be free to not sneak around with my real boyfriend."

Eve's eyes widened, "Ryder or Cena?"

"Cena," Mary giggled. "We were on and off for a few months before getting serious when he finally filed for a divorce."

"Was I one of the reasons for it being off once?" Eve swallowed visibly.

Mary nodded with a sigh, "at the same time, you sort of helped us. We hadn't talked about our feelings yet by that time, and I felt like... well..."

"A hoeski?" Eve offered with a nervous giggle.

Mary nodded with a smile, "so don't feel bad about what you're going to do. At least not with me. There's always my sister and your man."

Eve nodded with a laugh. "Too true. So Cody is with your sister?"

Cody nodded, "hopelessly in love."

Eve took a deep breath, "see you two later then." She walked off to Booker T's office, letting the fake couple continue their journey.

Mary pouted as she saw a dejected Ted walk their way. She knew that the royale hadn't finished yet, so that meant he didn't do well. "Aww, Teddy Bear..."

Ted scratched the back of his neck, "hey, I tried. Plus, the crowd sounded happy to see me again."

Mary nodded, hugging him. "Well, that's always a good thing."

"Now only if I can get a storyline that sticks," he sighed, returning the hug.

"There is one thing... but I'm not sure if you would want to be subjected to it," Mary took a deep breath.

"At this point, I'll take it," he shrugged.

"We can go public. I can have Steph arrange a couple of backstage segments where we're chatting, and when we're questioned, we can just tell them," she bit her lip.

He nodded, "I'll do it. You're a fan favorite, so it could make a damn good pop."

She nodded, "that way you can have a relationship with my girl in the ring, as well."

"Mary... what about John?" Cody interjected, biting his lip.

"What about John?" Ted looked over to Mary. "I thought that he was past that."

Mary shook her head, "He's not. He can tell that there are some unresolved feelings."

"Mare Bear..." Ted swallowed visibly.

"You know that it's true. We don't have to deal with it right away, but we should soon," she offered a small smile as the other three men in the from the Intercontinental title match walked up to them. She smiled, hugging Rey and Sin Cara. "Looks like the show is about to begin. We'll talk later, Teddy Bear."

"Teddy Bear?" Miz smirked as Ted walked off to the locker room with the rest of the battle royale participants.

"If you must know," she turned to Miz, glancing at Cody, "Ted and I dated for about a year and a half when were like fourteen. He calls me Mare Bear."

"Mike says that cute, Miz says it makes me wanna barf," he chuckled.

"I love how different you are off camera. I'm almost always just me," she shrugged.

"It works for you," Miz nodded, "___this _works for me."

…

Mary spent most of the Intercontinental Championship match annoyed. Leading up to her giving Cody a hard backhand in the middle of the ring once it was over. This being despite he had just received a "Skull Crushing Finale" from Miz to end the match, meaning that he was the ultimate loser of the fatal four-way. She wasn't seen on camera again until just before the World Heavyweight Championship match. She was walking to Cody's locker room after checking up on Kaitlyn and was about to reach the door when it swung open. Eve walked out, wiping her lips as Cody stood in the doorway with grin on his face that only "mature" viewers would catch onto.

"Thanks again," Eve grinned, walking past Mary.

"No, thank _y____ou_," Cody leaned against the door, looking very satisfied.

"Cody?" Mary's bottom lip quivered as tears filled her eyes.

Cody quickly snapped to attention, attempting to pretend like nothing had happened. "Hey baby, how's Kaitlyn doing?"

"She'll be fine in a few weeks," Mary sighed. "Look... Cody... I can't do this anymore. I love you, but I'm done. We're over. For good this time." She walked off, tears rolling down her cheeks as the cameras followed her. Ten feet down the hall, she literally ran into CM Punk.

"Whoa girl, you forget that you're stronger than I am," Punk chuckled until saw the look on her face. "Hey, what happened?"

"Cody cheated on me," she choked out between sobs. "It's over."

Punk sighed, hugging her semi-awkwardly. "You want to join me for my match?"

"If Heyman comes out, I can't promise to behave," she smirked.

He chuckled, "I wouldn't expect any less."

Later on, Mary accompanied Punk to the ring, having changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt that said "BAD ASS B*TCH" (Yes, with the asterisk). She sat down next to Jim Ross, joining commentary. She smiled, hugging him before shaking hands with Michael Cole and JBL.

"Well hey there, kiddo. Long time, no see," JR grinned.

"Thanks, JR. It's always good to see someone on here with experience," Mary giggled.

"Hey, I have experience," Cole whined.

Mary rolled her eyes, "sure you do. You do know that I've been with this company longer than you have, and yet you're like twice my age."

"I'm not sixty," Cole pouted, turning away from her.

"Do I have to sit here and listen to this the whole match?" JBL groaned.

"No," Mary giggled. "Feel free to leave at any time." She sat back and groaned as she watched as Punk raised his title a little too long. She looked over to Paul Heyman, who was laughing. She rolled her eyes, "be right back, boys." She stood up, pulling a night stick out of her extra long pocket. She casually walked over to Heyman with an innocent smile on her face. Before he could get a chance to react, she hit him in the back of the knees, causing the older man's legs to buckle and kneel on the floor momentarily. She then looked up at Punk in the ring, "now get this match started before ___I _challenge you for your precious title." Mary didn't say much on commentary during the match in fear of accidentally expressing her feelings for John. She just watched intently, waiting for her next cue. About half way through the match, Big Show's music began to play. Mary grinned, she would finally get her revenge for Over the Limit. She got up, slowly walking around the ring as the "World's Largest Athlete" made his way down. As she her way around, she reached under the apron, pulling a steel baseball bat out. John and Punk both looked down at her with concern. "Don't worry boys, I got this," she grinned evilly.

When Mary stood in front of Big Show, he looked down at her. "Step aside, Mary. This has nothing to do with you."

Mary stood her ground, shaking her head. "I am ___not _letting you ruin another chance for him." He pushed past her, though not hard enough to knock her over. She smirked, doing a windmill with the bat before hitting Show in the back of the head with it. They had gone over the scenario multiple times, so she knew exactly where to hit, how hard, and how to make it look much harder. After the large man toppled over, right outside the ring, Mary pulled one of John's new "Rise Above Cancer" wristbands out of her pocket and slid it on. She bent over, waving her hand in front of her face. "You can't see me now, Show! That's for Over the Limit." She smiled as she dropped the bat next to him and casually walked back over to the announce table.

After she put her headset back on, JBL looked over to her, "I thought that you were friends with CM Punk."

Mary shrugged, "What? I'm not allowed to have two friends who don't particularly like one another?" She sat quietly for the rest of the match, getting in a little quip here and there until John's music began to play. She grinned over at Punk with a wink as she watched the referee call the ring announcer over to make the official call for the match, which was a draw. She watched on until Punk hit John with the title and made his way up the ramp. This was her plan from the beginning, but she immediately became concerned when it actually happened and rushed into the ring.

Just behind the curtain, Alex walked up to Punk, "what the hell was that?"

"Calm down," the WWE Champion lead Alex to the room where everyone was watching everything transpire on a monitor. He motioned to what was going on in the ring, "do you really think that I would breathing right now if that wasn't her idea? I'm sure you all saw what she did to Show."

Just as Randy was about to step up and hit Punk, he looked to the monitor. John and Mary were kissing passionately in the middle of the ring to a very thunderous ovation from his hometown crowd.

"Should one of us go out there and break them up?" Chelsea giggled.

"Possibly, it just can't be me," Cody laughed.

"I'll do it," Stephen shrugged as he jogged to the Gorilla and down the entrance ramp. He got into ring and walked over to the couple, tapping John's shoulder. "Oi, the crowd is still here, fella."

John laughed as he and Mary got up, leaving together as his music played. Their relationship began to feel a little more legitimate after that. Which was something they both needed. On the other side, the in ring drama was just beginning. They were going to be in for an interesting few months, but they would be doing it together. That made all of the difference. Once everyone was showered and leaving the arena, Mary saw AJ leaving with Punk. She pulled out her phone, teasingly telling her friend that she expected details the next day. The response she received caused her to stop in her tracks as she and John were walking back to his car.

He turned back to look at her, tilting his head, "babe?"

She blinked, handing him her phone, showing him the texts.

Mary: You better tell me how the make up goes with Punk in the morning.

AJ: Maybe it'll be so good that I'll want the four of us to get together sometime. ;)

John froze in his tracks, blinking as well. "I've never done that, and I don't see myself ever doing it."

Mary laughed, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. "You do know that I've never actually fooled around with a girl, right?"

"Wait... you haven't?" he slipped his right arm around her waist, wincing a little.

"I've danced with girls in a very naughty fashion, but AJ is actually the only girl I've ever even kissed," she shrugged, noticing the look on his face. "Babe?"

"My elbow is a little sore. I'm sure it's fine," he kissed her once more before starting to walk to the car again, limping a little.

"You hurt your ankle, didn't you?" she smirked as they got into the car.

He nodded with a sigh, getting in the driver's side and starting the car. "You're not making me rush to see a doctor?"

"I've got a couple of Cena hand size bruises on my hips. It hurts to walk," she shrugged as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "I'd be a hypocrite if I made you get checked out right away. We'll go tomorrow."

He nodded, grinning like an idiot. "Badge of honor, huh?"

"I always wear bruises with pride," she nodded, sitting back in the passenger seat and trying to not fall asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

September 17, 2012

Mary woke up the next morning to John staring at her with a smile. She giggled, shaking her head. "You do know that is a little creepy, right?"

"I think you may like it a little," he slowly began pulling the sheet down, exposing her bare torso.

"And if I said that it's cold in here?" she smirked, looking down at her hardened nipples.

"You know that I could easily warm you up," he grinned, sliding a hand up her stomach, stopping at the valley between her breasts.

"I'd say that Layla isn't the one in the company who's insatiable," she laughed, sitting up a little and pulling away from him.

He frowned, retracting his hand, "Mary, what's wrong?"

She bit her lip, looking down. "I had a dream that I haven't had since we got together."

"It was him, wasn't it?" he sighed, attempting to slip his arms around her comfortingly.

She swallowed hard, nodding as she moved into his embrace. "You're not gonna like this, baby."

"It's gotten worse since you talked to Ted about it, hasn't it?" he bit his lip, looking down as he securely wrapped his arms around her waist.

She nodded, "I'm starting to remember more now. It's gotten a little more vivid lately."

He sighed, "as much as I'd like to have you just go back to the way that you were, I'd much rather see you face all of it and get better."

She nodded, hesitantly moving closer to him, leaning in a little. "Did you wanna..."

"Maryanne..." he sighed again, kissing her forehead. "You're making me feel like you're forcing yourself."

"I am," she stated softly before smashing her lips against his.

He gently pushed her away, "Mary, I can't. Not like this. I could never let myself do something that you may regret later."

"I could never regret anything with you, John," she leaned in, trying to kiss him again.

He shook his head, "you're not in the right mindset. I could easily lose you right now if I were to give in."

She sighed, feeling dejected, "should we get up and start getting ready? What time is it, anyway?"

He looked at his phone, "it's ten. You wanna grab some brunch before seeing the trainers?"

"John... kiss me?" she pouted.

"What?"

"You heard me. I just want a kiss," she smiled innocently.

"Just a kiss?" he smirked.

"I promise to not give in to the feelings it may give me," she giggled.

"Really? Just kissing me does that?"

She nodded, "you really don't know how universally attractive to women you are. Right now, you are naked and lying next to me in bed, that is a ___huge _temptation right there. Then, add that to the fact that your kisses always make me want to let you take me on the spot."

He grinned, leaning in and giving her the most passionate kiss he could. A minute into the kiss, she let out a moan against his lips. He pulled away, his grin going wider. "I think that you're just that easily turned on."

She shrugged, "could be. You're still that good of kisser. I actually wouldn't mind sharing you one of these days."

He raised an eyebrow, "are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Possibly," she shrugged. She got up and slipped into the bathroom to take a shower.

He groaned, fighting off the urge to join her because of what they had just discussed. He knew that the reason she had been so free sexually while she was with Randy was because she had never thought of what had happened to her in the past the entire time. The longer she was with John, the more Mary remembered things. He knew that she needed to let it in and work through it, but it was going to take time. Time and patience. Especially from the man who loved her.

…

A few hours later, John and Mary walked out of the trainers room together. John had twisted his ankle, but it was unclear what was wrong with his arm. It wasn't bothering him, so he was cleared for the match he had that night. Mary had a dark match with Heath Slater that night, as well as an impromptu "match" with Cody. It would be her first WWE match with a man, and she was very excited for it.

As they walked down the hall to catering, they ran into Ted and Celeste, who were looking very happy. Mary smirked, looking down at her friend's foot, "oh that's right. You're not actually injured."

"No, they just insist on torturing me for a while," Celeste pouted.

"Aww, my poor baby," Mary giggled, hugging the other girl. When the other girl slipped her arms around Mary's waist, she winced a little. "Ooh, careful girl."

Celeste smirked, lifting up Mary's shirt just enough to see the bruises. "Oh look, Cena hands."

Ted blinked, tilting his head. "You can tell?"

Celeste giggled, "have you seen anyone roughly grab her hips in the ring lately?"

"I don't think that anything like that would actually happen in the ring," John chuckled.

Mary shrugged, "well, if you get me and AJ out there... or maybe with this girl," she licked her lips, looking to Celeste.

The men groaned at their girlfriends with a sigh as Cody and Chelsea walked up. Cody saw the bruises and chuckled, "damn Cena. Save some of that for the ring."

Chelsea looked to John and Ted with a smirk, "are you teasing the boys again, sissy?"

"Yes," Mary grinned as Celeste finally let go of her shirt and stepping back over to Ted, blushing. "It's just _oh_ so fun."

"Well, keep it up. I like the results," Chelsea giggled.

"It's about bloody time I found the lot of you," a female, British voice approached them.

Mary turned toward the voice, grinning. "You're here! Everyone, this is Saraya, better known as Paige."

Everyone introduced themselves to the new member of the group just as AJ and Punk walked up, doing the same.

"So what all is going on tonight?" Paige looked around the group.

"We haven't gotten our scripts yet to know for sure," Mary started, "but I've got the pre-show dark match against Heath Slater, which I am so gonna win."

The friends went on to talk about what they would be doing that night. It was going to be a fun night, and Paige was happy to become a part of it. After that, the girls took Paige away from the guys and walked around, introducing her to everyone else.

…

As predicted, Mary beat Heath with ease. It was obvious that he was actually trying, yet she completely dominated the match. A few members of the board were watching, and met her behind the curtain, saying that they would take her performance into consideration. This made Mary extremely happy. She ran back to John's locker room. When she walked in, he was just finishing getting ready for the opening segment. She squealed, jumping into his arms.

He chuckled as he regained his balance. "That's just what I need. Sweaty Mary smell."

"You like it," she grinned.

"I'm not denying that," he shook his head. "In fact, if you could read my mind..."

She smirked, dropping back down to the floor with a nod. "Can't miss your cue."

"So how was your match? What has you smiling so big that it's making me a little jealous?"

She bounced a little, showing shades of AJ. "I wiped the mat with that wannabe. There were a couple of board members watching and they said that they would take my performance into consideration."

He sighed, looking down, "I still don't know how I feel about you being a Superstar. You wouldn't only going against the smaller guys."

"You know that I can take Brodus. Albert..." she cleared her throat, laughing, "I mean Tensai is nothing to me. Glenn has already said that we would fully talk everything out if we ever had a match. Then the only issue will be Show."

"_That __is_ what I'm worried about, baby," he bit his lip. "He's already going to be after us. What's going to stop him from hurting you if you're going against the men in the ring?"

Mary took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "You, Randy, Cody, Stephen, Alex, Ted, Zack, Rey... hell, I have a relationship with most of the guys on the roster. If it really came down to it, I..." she blinked as John turned to leave the room. "Babe?"

"I've got to get going," he quickly choked out, slipping out of the room.

Mary stood frozen, staring at the door once it closed behind him. She stood quietly until she heard John's music fill the arena. She then stormed out of the room, wanting to follow him down the ring and rip him a new asshole for flip flopping on his stance on trusting her, but she immediately thought better of it. As far as the WWE Universe was concerned, they had only shared one kiss, and that could mean a number of things. They would be working on building a relationship in the ring. So instead, she made her way to catering, knowing that at least one of her friends had to be in there.

Without noticing, she nearly knocked Zack over in the hallway, just outside of catering. "Whoa little Diva... where's the fire?" He looked at her face, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "Obviously in your eyes." He turned toward the doorway, calling out, "please tell me Randy is in there. You're probably the only one who can save us right now."

A few moments later, Randy walked out. "Save us from wh-" he cut himself off, seeing the look on Mary's face. "Shit," he bit his lip, he pulled Mary into his arms, looking to Zack, "everyone except AJ is in there."

Zack nodded, slipping into catering. He walked to the table where Cody, Chelsea, Ted, and Celeste were sitting. He took a deep breath, "Code Mary, guys."

Chelsea stood up, "let's hope she doesn't hurt anyone this time..." The others nodded following her.

"She really makes this easy," a male voice stated with a chuckle from the other side of the room.

"Just remember, we have to play this out perfectly, or it will never work," a female voice agreed with him.

Back in the hall way, Chelsea hugged her sister tightly. "Just tell us what happened."

Mary took a deep breath, tears streaming down her face. "He doesn't trust me."

"Why would you say that? What happened, Mare Bear?" Ted bit his lip as he pushed her a little to tell them what had her so distraught.

"I told him that I was told that I'm in consideration to move up to Superstar level. Then when he acted all worried when I told him that the only guy I'd have to worry about is Show. Then as I was attempting to reassure him that I would have plenty of back up if Show tried anything, I said that I have a relationship with a lot of the guys on the roster. He just sort of froze up and quickly ran off to do his promo."

Randy sighed, "you worded it wrong, Mare. Whether he wants to be or not, he's a little sensitive about the pictures. He doesn't want to get upset over the idea, and the fact that he does actually upsets me even more."

"This isn't fair," Mary swallowed hard. "I thought that I found the guy that I could just be myself with. Next thing I know, he's going to be telling me I should limit my interaction with the guys."

"I couldn't do that, Mary," John said softly as he walked up to the group.

"So can you accept that you're dating a geeky tomboy with a lot of male friends?" Mary sighed.

John took a deep breath, stepping in front of her and taking her hands. "I'm in love with you, Maryanne. I know that I still haven't fully accepted everything about you, but I'm working on it."

Mary nodded, taking a deep breath. "I have no desire to be with anyone else, John. Well... except for AJ and Celeste... but that's..." she giggled.

John shook his head, "these girls will end us. I swear."

Meanwhile, back in catering...

Paige sat down with Stephen. "Is Mary OK? I mean, I know I haven't known her very long, but..."

Stephen nodded with a sigh, "if yer gonna be working closely with her, you may wanna know what yer getting yerself into."

"I'm assuming it stems from what happened to her sixteen years ago," Paige bit her lip.

"Yeah, and she's depressive on top of that. Thankfully, John, Randy, Cody, Ted, and the lasses can keep her relatively calm. Her relationship with John is a little rocky, but he really loves her. She doesn't break down like this often. Most of the time, she's a little spitfire," Stephen grinned.

Paige smiled, nodding. "This is going to be fun."

"I'm actually really happy to have ye around. I can tell that yer gonna be fun," Stephen's cheeks flushed a little at his admission.

…

Just after the second hour of the program began, Cody made his way into the ring. He looked guilty and full of shame. Mary was a fan favorite, and everyone knew that he had cheated on her. There were many jeers and even a few "cheater" chants as he took a microphone. "Yes, I know. I know. I messed up royally this time. I'd like to call Mary Williams out to the ring right now, so that I can apologize to her."

Just then "I'm So Sick" by Flyleaf began to play and Mary stormed out to the ring, after everything that had happened, she felt it was best to go back to her old entrance theme. She took a microphone of her own and got right up in Cody's face. "What part of it's _really_ over this time didn't you get? I am ___done _with you, Cody. You are _never_ getting me back."

Cody backed up, his face full of fear. "I know that I'm not. That doesn't make me any less sorry. I know that I've lost you, Mary. I've accepted that."

Mary smirked, panting softly in rage as she tilted her head. "You know what..." she turned toward the Titan Tron. "Hey AJ, do I have time to kick his pathetic, sorry ass?"

Just then AJ appeared on the Titan Tron, from her office. "I'm not against adding a match right now. Want a referee?"

Mary shrugged as "Radio" by Watt White began playing. Zack Ryder appeared on the entrance ramp in a referee shirt. "That works," Mary grinned.

Zack made his way down to the ring as the girls laughed sadistically. When he got to the steps, AJ grinned, waving. "Have fun, baby."

"Thanks, sexy," Mary blew her a kiss before the screen changed back to the feed from the ring.

Immediately after Zack got into the ring and signaled for the bell to ring, Mary lunged at Cody, punching him multiple times until they were both on the ground. Cody fought back a little, but it was no use. Every time he attempted to get a little offense in, Mary immediately countered. Once she got her initial emotions out, it turned into more of an actual match, rather than a straight up beat down. They were actually rather evenly talented and it made for one of the better matches Raw had put on in a long time. The match went on for fifteen minutes, Cody even getting a good hits in. Cody's chances all came crashing down after a vicious hip toss from Mary. After that, Cody knew that it was over. She leaned over, whispering. "Remember our training? Time for a 'Final Cut'," she grinned, picking him up and using the finishing move that she had adopted from his brother. After slamming him onto the mat, she pinned him. Zack got into position and counted to three and rang the bell once more. Mary got up, laughing as her music began to play once more. She walked out of the ring and up the ramp with Zack. Once they got to the locker room area, they were greeted by their friends, who were applauding for them.

"I take it all back, baby," John grinned, hugging her.

"I didn't think you could pick Cody up like that," Ted laughed.

Mary shrugged, "we trained together. He's only got like seventy-five pounds on me."

"Only," John chuckled, shaking his head. "But I guess it's no different than me picking up Show."

"Exactly," Mary giggled as Cody walked up. "I didn't hurt ya too badly, did I?"

Cody shook his head, "nah. We know each other well enough in the ring. I had myself prepared for everything."

Mary nodded, "I should get showered and ready for my backstage segment."

…

Just before the main event, Mary was shown backstage with Paige and Ted. It was one of those conversations where it couldn't be made out on camera, so Mary took advantage. She took a deep breath, turning to Ted. "About what I said last night..."

Ted shook his head, "no, I thought about it, and you're right. We did break up rather suddenly. I think that we've been ignoring our need for closure."

Paige nodded, interjecting, "I know that I'm new to the group. So it's not ___any _of my business. However, if you're both in new relationships, ___and _want to give yourselves to the new people in your life fully, you really need to have a little closure."

Mary nodded with a smile. "It's better than finding out down the road. We owe this to John and Kaitlyn."

Just then, Eve walked up to them, starting the part of the segment that could actually be heard. "Geez, Williams. You move on quickly."

Mary looked up, growling, "you."

"Me what?" Eve batted her eyelashes, playing innocent.

"You don't think that everyone knows ___exactly _what you did, you little tart?" Paige spat out.

"If anything, I did Mary a favor. Cody Rhodes is just another man-whore. He never lov-" Eve's insult was cut off by Mary charging at her and spearing into an equipment box. Eve got up, groaning in pain as she began hitting Mary, backing her up into a wall. Paige quickly stepped in, grabbing Eve by the hair and throwing her against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway starting a two on one brawl.

Just as a group of security and referees came in to separate the girls, Ted grabbed Mary, pulling her away from further attacking Eve. He grabbed Paige's wrist with his free hand as he backed away. Mary and Paige began laughing maniacally with devious looks on their faces. Mary licked her lips, "this isn't over, Torres! Watch your back!" Once they were cleared from the cameras, Mary laughed as Ted let them go. "Welcome to the Crazy Chicks. How does it feel to make your RAW debut?"

"That was insane!" Paige grinned, hugging Mary. "Thank you so much for thinking of me for this."

Mary returned the hug, smiling. "I thought that you would be a perfect fit. I was totally right."

…

Toward the end of the main event, Mary and Ted found themselves in a dark, secluded corner of the arena. They both had their phones on them in case someone needed to find them, but they wanted as much privacy as possible. Mary took a deep breath, biting her lip. "I think that there was a part of me that was in love with you back then, as well."

"Really?" Ted blinked, swallowing visibly.

She nodded, "I know that we were just kids, but something told me that we could have really had something."

"I know that we had broken up that night, but I hated myself for it, and it's not only because of what happened," he bit his lip.

She took his hand, squeezing it to keep herself from breaking down. "I wanted you to be my first."

"You mean..."

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

He slipped an arm around her waist, his eyes locking with hers. "I would have liked that. Had we been a little older, of course."

"Well yeah," she giggled softly. "I was thinking when you were at least sixteen."

"But that was then..." he took a deep breath, pulling her a little closer.

"I love John, Teddy Bear," she shook a little.

"Then tell me to stop," he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.

"Wow... this is ___too _good," the mysterious female spoke quietly from a distance. "Please tell me that you're getting this."

"Oh, I've got it," her male accomplice grinned, his phone's camera pointed directly at Ted and Mary. "I'm saving this one for later."

…

About an hour later Mary sat in the middle of her and John's hotel room bed, not saying a word. John knew the tendency in which her moods flowed in, so he knew to always approach with caution. He sat down on the edge of the bed, "Mary..."

She looked up to her boyfriend with tears in her eyes. "Hi baby..."

"Is everything okay?" he moved a little closer to her.

She shook her head, "I shouldn't say, though."

"Mary, just tell me. You know that it's better that I found out now than later. Especially if I were to find out from someone else."

She nodded, swallowing visibly. "I kissed Ted."

John blinked, backing away a little. "When?"

"Just a little bit ago. While you were in the shower after your match."

"W-what kind of kiss, Maryanne?" John swallowed, fighting back tears.

"A damn good one," she sighed. "It's just that... think about it, John. I'm here with you right now."

He nodded, moving a little closer and taking her hand. "So what did it feel like?"

She looked down for a moment, shaking her head. "Like making out with my brother."

John clapped his hand over his heart, "oh thank God."

She smiled, climbing onto his lap. "If things ___had _been different... then maybe things would be different now. But what happened, happened. Everything that is supposed to happen does. I wasn't meant to be with Ted. I was meant to be with you, and I'd like to stay that way."

"I love you, Maryanne. The thought of losing you just killed me. Still, I couldn't think of a better guy to lose you to."

Mary giggled, "but you're not losing me. We may as well start planning our wedding at this rate. Wait... we're not engaged yet." She blinked, "are we?"

"No, Mary," John laughed. "I didn't think that we were there yet. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'm ready for marriage again this soon."

She nodded, kissing him softly. "We can wait. I'm in no rush. I just want my wedding to be absolutely perfect. I'm hoping that it will be my first and only."

"If I can help it, it will be," John grinned, kissing her again, meaning that it would be her only marriage, and it would be a perfect wedding. He held her close as they deepened the kiss. If he couldn't give her marriage right now, he could definitely give her something just as good, if not better.


	26. Chapter 26

******I ended up using lyrics again! LOL The song is "Unusual You" by Britney Spears. All credit goes to the writers of that song. It's really beautiful.**

* * *

September 18th, 2012 – Friday Night SmackDown Tapings.

Mary didn't have a match on SmackDown that week, but she would be making her presence known for other reasons. She was doing commentary, as well as an in ring promo that would be shocking the WWE Universe. The thought alone made it fun for her. A lot of her friends filmed matches that day for not only SmackDown, but Superstars and Saturday Morning Slam as well. She had made friends with a number of mid-carders, because they just simply had more time for socializing.

From backstage, Mary intently watched the match between Zack and Justin Gabriel. She had a smile on her face the entire time, not caring who won. Near the end of the match, someone walked up behind her, darting their fingers into her sides, giving her "jumper cables". Her eyes widened as she quickly spun around, ready to strike if it were one of the annoying rookies trying to mess with her. When she saw her "attacker" she squealed, carefully throwing her arms around his neck. "Oh my God, Adam!"

Adam Copeland, better known as Edge, laughed as he hugged her tightly. "Someone obviously missed me."

"I haven't seen you in months, of course I missed you," she pouted as they pulled away.

"Well, I've heard how you get when you miss someone, but thank you for taking it easy on this crippled old man," he smirked.

She giggled, "so you heard about me attacking Amy at RAW 1000?"

He nodded, "I did. I'm sure John just loved that."

She sighed, rolling her eyes with a shrug, "John can just..."

Adam tilted his head, "is everything okay between the two of you?"

"We're working through some things, all while I'm working through some things. It's gotten a little messy. I can tell that we're going to be okay. It just that..." she bit her lip.

He nodded, slipping an arm around her waist. "It's hard. You just want everything to be magically okay, but life can never be that easy."

Just as Mary was about to respond, someone cleared their throat behind them. Her eyes went wide as she stepped away from Adam. "Hi Randy."

Adam turned to see Randy, along with Cody. "Um... good guess, Mary."

Mary shook her head as she turned to face her friends. "No... Randy and I just happen to know each other that well," she smirked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Are you trying to get yourself into trouble?" Randy shook his head. "And you," he turned to Adam, "I know that you're not trying to steal John Cena's girlfriend."

Adam quickly shook his head, holding his hands up in surrender, "I've known Mary since she was like sixteen. She's like a little sister to me."

Randy nodded then turned to Mary, "I just got my script, Mary."

Mary giggled, nodding. "I didn't know it was going to be him, but I think that it's going to end up being hilarious."

"Oh yes Mary, rebounding with Dolph Ziggler will make for a ___great _storyline," Cody rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, you wanted to end that shit just as badly as I did," Mary shrugged.

"But Ziggler? Of all the guys on the roster. I mean, are you going to claim that he did that," Cody motioned to Mary's hips.

Mary glared at Cody, "they don't know about that."

"What don't we know about?" Randy raised an eyebrow.

Mary sighed, rolling her eyes as she lifted up her shirt to show off her bruises once more. "You missed the fun stuff before Night of Champions."

Adam blinked, "there's the other reason I'm not about to steal her. That territory is clearly marked." He laughed as a stage hand came up and told him that it was time for him to make his way to the gorilla position.

Mary dropped her shirt as Adam walked away and looked up to Randy. "Don't even say it," she glared at him before pushing past him.

Cody tilted his head at Randy, "Um...what did I miss?"

"It's Mary," Randy shrugged. "Though if I wanted to, I could make the comment that I never left my mark like that."

Cody nodded, "I'll check on her." He headed off in the direction that Mary had just headed in, hoping to catch her quickly. When he saw her he took a deep breath, hesitantly stepping closer to her. "Mare?"

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Sorry, I'm just getting worse here."

Cody's expression softened as her closed the gap between them, hugging her tightly. "We all know that you need to work through everything. I'm sure there's a reason things are suddenly less than good again." He already knew what _may_ have her looking so down, but he wanted her to tell him on her own.

"I hurt him again," she sighed.

Cody frowned, nodding. "Ted told me what happened last night. How did John take it?"

"I could tell that it crushed him, but he wouldn't admit to it. It's like one step forward, two steps back. I even made the mistake of bringing up marriage soon after. I don't know why I keep fucking things up," she buried her face in Cody's shoulder to let her tears out.

Cody rubbed her back soothingly as Ted walked up to them. "Hey man," he said softly.

Ted bit his lip, "please don't tell me that..."

Cody shook his head, "close, but no."

Ted took a deep breath, "I'm so sorry, Mare Bear."

Mary looked up with a small smile. "I didn't have to kiss you back, Teddy Bear. I'm just as much at fault here."

"But what you have with John is amazing. I've even expressed jealousy in it. Now I've gone and had my hand in potentially ruining it," Ted frowned.

"John and I will be okay. I can feel it," Mary paused, swallowing hard. "Does she know?"

Ted nodded, "I explained everything to her. We're good."

"Then that's all that matters," Mary smiled, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

...

Later in the night, the "Crazy Chicks" made their in ring debut. However, it wasn't for a match of their own. Just before the bell rang for the tag match between Randy and Sheamus against Del Rio and Ziggler, "Better Off Dead" began to play. Mary and Paige strutted down to the ring with authority. They walked around to the front of the announcer's desk and Mary grabbed a microphone. "We've named ourselves special guest enforcers for this match. Have fun boys." The girls circled the ring after the bell rang, never interfering with the match physically. Rather, they just both had menacing looks in their eyes, making Del Rio and Ziggler very uncomfortable for the duration of the match. Once the match was over, Paige left with Sheamus as Randy and Ziggler began arguing in the ring. Mary rolled her eyes, grabbing a microphone once more and climbing into the ring. She circled around the men, looking Ziggler up and down. "Really boys?"

"What the hell are you doing, Mary?" Randy's snarl could be barely heard over the microphone.

"I'm a big girl now, Randy. Don't worry about me," she grinned, turning back to Ziggler. "Mmm, I bet you could work me like a nine to five."

Ziggler shrugged with a smirk. He took her wrist to tilt the microphone toward himself, "I haven't gotten a complaint yet."

Mary nodded, "well I'm just looking for a little push to help me get over Cody Rhodes. What do you say to showing me at least one of those four things you to better than wrestling?"

"Seriously Mary?" Randy shook his head in disgust.

Mary dropped the microphone, linking arms with Ziggler. "I'll be just fine." They left the ring together, Randy a few beats behind them.

"What I really want to know is why does Randy Orton seem to care so much about what Mary does to cope with her break up with Cody Rhodes?" Michael Cole finally spoke up as they disappeared behind the curtain going into commercial.

Once they were cleared of the cameras Mary busted out laughing. She held her stomach as the other girls joined her, laughing just as hard. "I was so sure I wasn't going to get through that."

"So I guess there isn't a chance of this actually happening?" Ziggler walked up to them, frowning.

Mary shook her head, "sorry Spirit Squad Nicky, I've got a man." They began laughing harder as a dejected Dolph Ziggler made his way into the locker room to shower.

...

John was already in bed by the time Mary made her way back to the hotel that night. She entered the room quietly, slipping into the bathroom to change for bed. Rather than her normal flannel pajama pants and tank top, she opted to "throw on" a black, lacy, halter babydoll from Victoria's Secret. She had plenty of lingerie, but she had never actually worn any of it yet. She walked over to the bed, watching as John kept his eyes intently on the television, having not really acknowledged the fact she had come in yet. She stood at the foot of the bed, chewing on the tip of her index finger with an innocent look in her eyes.

"Just come to bed, Ma-" John looked up, cutting himself off as he looked his girlfriend over. "My God, you're beautiful," he stated breathlessly.

"I just wanted to remind you of something," she smiled as she walked around the bed, standing next to him.

He looked up into her eyes as he reached up, gently tracing her thong along her hips. "And what's that, baby?"

"I love you, and only you. I also only ___want_you. You are everything to me, John. You, Marcus, and whatever life feels the need to throw at us," she smiled.

"And you had to wear this to tell me that?" he pulled her down on top of him.

She sighed, straddling his hips with a nod. "I had to get your attention."

He bit his lip, looking down for a moment. "I'm sorry, Mary. You kn-"

She cut him off with a kiss. "Please don't, John. I'm know that I'm not exactly the easiest person to love. We're kinda like a Britney song," she smiled.

"Britney Spears?" he laughed.

"Hey, don't knock Britney," she smirked, getting off of the bed and retrieving her iPod. She cued up the song, setting it in the iPod dock. "The Circus album lead me to Myah Marie, and I know how much you like it when I listen to her."

He nodded as she pushed play and climbed back onto the bed, curling up next to him. She gazed at him lovingly as the song began to play.

___Nothin' about you is typical_

___Nothin' about you's predictable_

___You got me all twisted and confused_

___(It's so you)_

___Up 'til now, I thought I knew love_

___Nothin' to lose and it's damaged 'cause_

___Pattern to fall as quick as I do_

___(But now)_

___Bridges are burnin'_

___Baby, I'm learnin'_

___A new way of thinking now_

___Love, I can see_

___Nothing will be_

___Just like it was_

___Is that because_

___Baby, you're so unusual_

___Didn't anyone tell you you're s'posed to_

___Break my heart, I expect you to_

___So why haven't you?_

___Maybe you're not even human 'cause_

___Only an angel could be so unusual_

___Sweet surprise I could get used to_

___Unusual you_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Been so many things when I was someone else_

___Boxer in the ring, tryin' to defend myself_

___And the private eye to see what's goin' on_

___(That's long gone)_

___When I'm with you, I can just be myself_

___You're always where you say you will be_

___Shocking, 'cause I never knew love like this_

___Could exist_

___Tables are turnin'_

___My heart is soarin'_

___You'll never let me down_

___Answer my call_

___Here after all_

___Never met anyone_

___Like you_

___Baby, you're so unusual_

___Didn't anyone tell you you're s'posed to_

___Break my heart, I expect you to_

___So why haven't you?_

___Maybe you're not even human 'cause_

___Only an angel could be so unusual_

___Sweet surprise I could get used to_

___Unusual you_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Can't believe that I_

___Almost didn't try_

___When you called my name_

___Now everything is changed_

___Baby, you're so unusual_

___Didn't anyone tell you you're s'posed to_

___Break my heart, I expect you to_

___So why haven't you?_

___Maybe you're not even human 'cause_

___Only an angel could be so unusual_

___Sweet surprise I could get used to_

___Unusual you_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

___Ah-ah, ah ah_

When the song was over, John's eyes were filled with tears. "I love you so much, Mary. I am so sorry I'm having trouble being exactly what you need," he whispered.

She smiled, kissing him softly. "I love you too. And baby, you ___are _everything that I need. I just get scared, that's why I'm so difficult."

He shook his head, "I went through hell with Liz. Even before we started this. What she put me through made me less than what I was before, but you're bringing it back. I don't think that I ever really loved her, but I obviously felt _something_ for her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have married her. Which is what you tried telling me months ago. What I know now is that I've loved you all along. I have absolutely no doubt that I want you and only you. You're it for me, Mary. I love our life together."

She kissed him a few times softly, "we're made for each other."

He nodded, reaching over to her iPod and clicking on a playlist. He grinned as "Let's Get It On" began to play. He slipped off her thong, leaving the babydoll on as they made love. It was slow and sweet, and exactly what they both needed. After they finished, he held her close as she trembled in his arms. "I've noticed something..."

"What's that?" she whispered.

"You were right about something. As much as you like the fun stuff, your orgasms are much more intense when we take it slow," he smiled, kissing the top of her head.

She took a deep breath, nodding, "you've gotten all of me. You had nothing to worry about. Now the only thing we have to deal with is at work..."

He tilted his head, "what's going on?"

"Well, I'm going to be spending... well, Friday night... with Ziggler. He's supposed to be a rebound after Cody," she giggled.

John shook his head, "of all people..."

"That's what Cody said. Strangely enough, Nicky boy actually thought he might get some of this."

He pulled her close to his body, protectively. "Well he's not getting you, ever."

She giggled, kissing him. "Trust me, Nick Nemeth is the last possible guy I'd ever hook up with."

He nodded, "good."

She laid her head on his chest, "we're about to start an interesting couple of months..."


	27. Chapter 27

**Warnings! This is another tearjerker. I also delve deeper into the incident that happened to Mary sixteen years ago. Mentions of rape and violence are included in this. Scroll past the flashback part if you are uncomfortable with reading such things. The flashback is the italicized section.**

* * *

September 21st, 2012

Ted wasn't used to waking up next to someone. He may have been almost thirty, but Celeste was only his second girlfriend ever. He had always been close to Mary, but spending the night wasn't exactly high on the priority list at the age they were when they were together. He knew that his friends understood, but that didn't stop him from feeling like he shouldn't feel awkward about the beautiful girl laying next to him. It was only two weeks earlier that Mary sat on the bed that he was now sharing with the two-toned blonde, and Mary had been the first female outside of his family to see his bedroom. Mary was the only girl that he had dated before Celeste, and they shared a bond that no one else ever could with either of them. It was unspoken. Their friends understood and never questioned it, and more importantly John and Celeste understood. Anyone could call Mary "Mare", just like anyone could call him "Teddy". However, adding "Bear" onto the end of that was something special between the two of them. No one else was supposed to call them that, and no one ever bothered trying.

He was still a virgin. It had only been five days since he and Celeste had made things official. There was no real rush. Before Night of Champions began, she had given him a handjob, not expecting anything in return. That much most likely would have never happened had Mary and AJ not taken whatever it was between them to the next level in front of the group in John's locker room that night. Mary wasn't the same girl that Ted had dated as a teenager. It wasn't even after what had happened to her that she was the way that she had become. Ted didn't understand how John could stand back and just let Mary do whatever with AJ, but he wasn't John. In Ted's eyes, cheating was cheating. It didn't matter if your girlfriend was just playing around with another girl. At the same time, he had himself so repressed after what he had witnessed at thirteen, that he never even thought of the prospect of the threeway. Maybe it was better to start with just one girl, anyway. Celeste understood completely what she was dealing with, and still chose to pursue a relationship with her friend's old boyfriend. She saw something in Ted that she hadn't seen in any of the other men she had been with. She didn't pity him, nor did she see him as a conquest. What she felt for Ted was far beyond that. She saw potential for something true with him, and she hoped that he felt the same for her.

Ted slowly stirred awake around ten. Still not used to having someone next to him when he slept. This caused him to momentarily forget that he did have a girl sleeping in his arms, and it startled him. Before he woke completely, he jumped back a bit, blinking until he remembered that this woman was his girlfriend and that he _wanted_ to wake up like this. Once he remembered he smiled, cuddling with her once more.

She smiled, still mostly asleep. "You're staring, aren't you?" she mumbled.

He blinked, looking down at her. "Are you awake?"

She stirred a little, waking up a little more. "Kinda," she let out a small yawn, her eyes still closed.

He kissed her forehead, "well, you look beautiful when you sleep."

"Learning cheesy lines from the other guys?" she giggled.

"That wasn't a line, Celeste," he whispered, his voice slightly husky.

"Ted..." she sighed, finally opening her eyes.

He looked into her eyes, biting his lip. "I know, darlin'. I'm not emotionally ready, and I know that you're okay with that."

"I can tell that it bothers you, though," she swallowed visibly before leaning in for a soft kiss. She hopped up off of the bed, beginning to make her way to the bathroom. "Be right back, sugar," her Texan accent was slightly thick in the mornings.

Ted blinked, laying back and looking up at the ceiling. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what she was referring to, and it made him think. He knew that she was sexually experienced. Hell, she was nearly as blunt about the subject as Mary was. At the same time, he knew that Mary used it as a defense mechanism. Which wasn't exactly something that everyone was aware of. Mary had her reasons for doing the things that she did, and unless it began to effect her negatively, Ted, nor any of their friends, would question it.

Celeste returned a few minutes later, looking more awake with a jubilant smile on her face. "Your turn." She sat down on his bed as he got up and made his way to the bathroom. When he returned, she looked up at him, taking a deep breath. "You don't have to..."

He cut her off with a kiss, shaking his head. "It does bother me a little. Just not as much as you're fearing that it does. We've only been together a few days, Celeste," he sat down next to her. "I wouldn't even jump into sex that quickly if I wasn't a virgin."

She nodded, blushing a little. "I guess that I'm just not used to this much sweetness."

He frowned, slipping an arm around her waist. "You deserve all of this and more. Any man who wouldn't want this with you would have to be insane."

"I don't have the best track record, Ted," she sighed. "Hell, I was never actually dating the last guy I was sleeping with."

He bit his lip, taking a deep breath. "Do I know him?"

She swallowed visibly, looking down. "It was Alex."

Ted blinked, "Williams? Like as in Mary's brother?"

She nodded, playing with her hands in her lap.

"What happened with him, darlin'?" he gave her a little squeeze of support.

She took a deep breath, slowly looking over to him. "We just randomly started hooking up a few months ago. It didn't last very long. A little over a month ago, I caught him in bed with a ring rat and walked away from him. The first time I saw him since then was when he came up to us in catering Sunday."

He sighed, kissing the side of her head. "I had a feeling that there was something there. You tensed up when he approached his sisters. I could feel it."

"I was starting to genuinely like him. Yet at the same time, I knew from the start that it would never really become anything. That's why I was actually a little hesitant to actually try anything with you," she reached up, running her fingers through her hair. "And before you even say it, I know that you're nothing like him."

"Hey," he gently cupped her chin, turning her face toward him. "You're talking to the guy who couldn't bring himself to ever really look at another girl after he walked in right after a girl whom he cared deeply about had been..." he closed his eyes, wetting his suddenly dry lips.

She hugged him tightly, letting him know that he didn't need to finish his sentence. She knew what had happened. Much like the rest of their group of friends, she knew what he saw and what he had done. He had opened up to her the day that everyone had come to his house a couple of weeks prior.

_Flashback:_

_August 19th, 1996_

_After Ted wrapped Mary in his jacket and picked her up, cradling her in his arms, he stormed out of the room and made his way down the hall. He was still processing what he had seen. That asshole had obviously hit her a number of time in order to get her to cooperate before she complied, and there was blood dripping down her inner thighs. At thirteen, Ted barely knew anything about sex. He had heard that there were instances when sex was forced on someone, but he didn't fully believe it until that night. Growing up in a religious household, Ted had been taught that sex was a very special thing. It was meant to be shared between two people who truly loved one another. So in that theory, if anyone should be doing anything sexual with Mary, it should be him. He didn't know if he loved her, but he did care a lot for her. He knew that he was too young to really even think about love, but he knew that he felt something for the battered girl in his arms._

_When Ted finally ran into someone in the hall, his eyes were filled with tears. Mary had all but passed out in his arms, she was trembling and moaning in pain, this only causing Ted to become more effected by what had happened. He looked up to see his father, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. "Dad..." he choked out._

_Ted Sr. looked over the young girl in his middle son's arms. He took in the sight of the bruises on her face and legs. This already told a tragic story, but once he saw the blood, as well as the fact that she was obviously naked under her boyfriend's jacket, his face went pale. "Do you know who did this, son?"_

_The boy slowly nodded, taking a deep breath. "It was Daniel Richards."_

_The older man nodded, placing a hand on his son's shoulder and leading him toward the trainer's room, not quite sure where the ambulance was parked that night. One of the trainers just happened to be walking out of the room just as they approached the door. He looked over the girl and his face fell. He looked up to Ted Sr. who nodded with a frown. "Son, what do you say to this gentleman leading you to the ambulance? You can ride with her. I've got some business to attend to here, but I will join you there as soon as I can."_

_Ted nodded, swallowing visibly as he was lead off by the trainer. Everything slowly started to become a haze to him as he allowed Mary to be placed onto the stretcher and loaded her into the back of the waiting vehicle. When one of the EMT's looked to the trainer questioningly, he nodded, biting his lip. "This is her boyfriend, one of the performers did this to her." That was all the confirmation needed for the EMT to allow Ted to join Mary on her journey to the nearby hospital. The EMT notified the trainer which hospital she was being taken to so that he could pass it along._

_Ted insisted on being in the room as Mary was being examined, though he agreed to stay out of everyone's way. He paced back and forth on the other side of the room as the performed a number of tests on her before finally cleaning her up and getting her into a hospital gown. The doctor walked up to Ted once they're were finished and took a deep breath. "The police will be here eventually to get a statement from you. We will be moving her to a regular room to keep her overnight. She seems comfortable with you, so it's best if you stay with her. At the same time, I should warn you that once she fully comes to, she may show fear, even around you. All you can do is reassure her that you are not going to hurt her. Your father and some of his colleagues are already here. They gave us all of the needed information." She paused, taking a deep breath, "her step-father isn't here. They said that he didn't seem to care."_

_Ted sighed, nodding. "That doesn't surprise me in the slightest. Her mother may not care either."_

_The doctor nodded, she hated hearing such stories, but in her line of work, she had heard everything. "There is one more thing, Ted," she swallowed visibly. "She's pregnant."_

_Ted's eyes went wide at the revelation. "What?"_

_The doctor nodded once more, "it could just be tubal, meaning that there is no baby. However, at this time, she is definitely pregnant. Can I ask you something private?"_

_The boy nodded slowly, "what is it?"_

"_Are you and Mary sexually active, or was there any chance you would be any time soon?" the doctor had a very serious look in her eyes._

_Ted quickly shook his head, "it hasn't even come up yet. We both feel like we're much too young for that."_

_She nodded with a grateful smile, "she's going to need you to be strong, Ted. She's been through a lot."_

_Ted nodded, new tears welling up in his eyes. "I understand." He quietly walked out of the room to meet with his father and whoever else had come to see them. He buried his face into his father's chest as the older man wrapped his arms around his son. After letting it out, he looked up to see Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, Dustin, and Terri Runnels, who was known as Marlena. He asked his father if he could stay overnight in the hospital with Mary. Knowing that there was no real arguing after everything that had happened that night, Ted Sr. agreed, telling his son that he would be back in the morning. Ted nodded, following as Mary was wheeled up to one of the regular rooms. The nurses provided a roll-away bed for the teenager, but he ended up crawling into bed with Mary when she woke up and asked him to._

_August 20th, 1996_

_Ted Sr. walked into Mary's room at nine the next morning. It had been a long night, and he hadn't gotten much sleep, due to his thoughts keeping him awake. The sight that was before him caused a warm smile to play across his lips. Normally, the sight of two teenagers in bed together would be troubling, but Mary had her arms wrapped around Ted. She was clinging onto him as if both of their lives depended on it. This meant that she felt safe with Ted, which was a huge thing. Most girls in her situation didn't want anyone near them, especially not any males. There was a good chance that she may be skittish around other people, but it was good that she was at least letting Ted in. The Million Dollar Man cleared his throat softly, just enough to wake his son up, still smiling._

_Ted stirred awake, opening his eyes and quickly began to sit up once he saw his father in the room, only to be pulled back in by Mary. He looked up, giving his father an innocent smile._

_The older man chuckled, "you're fine, Junior. She obviously wants you there. Katherine has given me permission to sign her out. She's going to be staying with us until she heals up. She really isn't in any condition to travel. Not even to Atlanta."_

_Ted bit his lip, "heal up?"_

_Ted Sr. nodded, "she has some internal injuries. Her pregnancy is going to be high risk for at least a couple of months, but that is only if she chooses to keep it."_

"_So is it going to be okay if she stays in my room? Because if this is any indication, it looks like she may insist," Ted sighed, gently stroking Mary's unbruised cheek._

"_Considering there may not even be any kissing, let alone any funny business going on, I'm sure that your mother and myself will allow it," he set down Mary's suitcase, as well as a duffle bag next to bed. "Here are her things, and I brought a change of clothes for you. I'll be waiting in the hall signing all of the paperwork and whatnot." He quietly left the room, leaving his son to handle things in there._

_Once the door closed, Ted gently nudge Mary. "Mare Bear? Time to wake up."_

_Mary slowly woke up, suddenly realizing that the night before hadn't been a dream. She didn't remember very many details. Nor did she want to. Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at her hospital gown, then over to her ex-boyfriend. "It really happened, didn't it, Teddy Bear?"_

_He kissed her forehead softly, "let's not think of it now, Maryanne. You're coming home with me for a while. I'm going to take care of you."_

"_Are we back together?" she slowly sat up, wincing._

"_I guess we are. I mean... We can be if you want to be," he got up, walking over to the duffle bag. "I'm going to get changed, then I'm going to help you."_

_She blinked, her eyes widening a bit, "but Ted..."_

_He took a deep breath, "I... um... I sort of saw everything last night, Mare Bear. I did my best to not look. My eyes just kept going to the wounds. You trust me, right?"_

_She nodded with a smile, "of course."_

_He leaned over, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. "I'll be right back." He slipped into the bathroom in the room and quickly changed, returning less than a minute later. He helped her out of the bed and let her test out her legs. She was still a little shaky, needing to lean against Ted for support as she walked toward the bathroom. "Do you need a minute?" he knew that there were bars near the toilet for those in a wheel chair, so she could use those while she took care of her business. After she nodded, he made sure that she got into the bathroom before turning and going for the suitcase._

_Once she finished, she looked toward the door, "you can come in, Ted."_

_Ted took a deep breath, opening the door and set the suitcase down on the floor before closing the door once more. After he opened her suitcase, she pointed to a pair of panties, which he pulled out and held open for her to step into as he knelt in front of her and she held his shoulders for support. She was able to reach behind her neck, untying the hospital gown and letting it fall to the ground. She then pointed to a sports bra, which he grabbed for her and stood up, helping her get it over her head, not once looking at her breasts._

_She looked down into her suitcase and saw a rather large Goldust t-shirt and smiled, "was he here?"_

_Ted nodded as he helped her into a pair of sweatpants, knowing she wasn't going to want to wear one of her cute little outfits that day. "Him, Terri, Vince, and Jerry came, but you were completely out of it."_

_Mary nodded with a frown as she picked up the t-shirt and pulled it over her head. "If I can help it, I don't want any news going beyond them."_

_Ted nodded in understanding and closed the suitcase after helping into her sandals, picking it up along with his duffle and helped her out of the room. They made their way out to a waiting nurse, who had a wheelchair for Mary to be wheeled out of the hospital._

Celeste knew that both Ted and Mary hated remembering that night, but they couldn't change the fact that it had happened. They had to live with the nightmare for the rest of their lives. It was in this that Celeste knew that Ted understood. Sure, they had different issues when it came to getting into a relationship, but that didn't make either reason any less legitimate. With each of them having their own hangups, it actually made the budding relationship easier. "What are we doing today?" she finally broke the silence after a few minutes.

Ted took a deep breath, "I was thinking an early lunch, then maybe we can catch a movie, or go to the zoo?"

"Or both? Celeste grinned eagerly.

"And be back in time to watch SmackDown," Ted nodded.

"I think that we're all watching tonight, even though we were there," she laughed.

"I wonder how John is going to take it," he mused.

Celeste shrugged, "they've already been through worse."

He nodded with a small chuckle, "good point."


	28. Chapter 28

**It's my birthday, and what am I doing? Updating my story. I have a few RAW related birthday wishes... How far stretched does everyone think me asking for Ted sighting on my birthday is? LOL Anyway, here's the next chapter...**

* * *

September 24th, 2012 – Albany, NY

Chelsea slowly stirred awake at four AM. She had never gotten up that early, but seeing as how she was the only non-wrestler in the group, and she didn't need to get up early and train, she volunteered to go to the airport to pick up the surprise guest for that night's RAW. She placed a soft kiss on Cody's lips and slipped out of the hotel bed they had just shared. She quietly picked up her suitcase and carried it into the bathroom with her so that she could shower. A half hour later she came back out, picking up her purse and the keys to the rental car that she and Cody were sharing.

Just as she was about to open the door and head out, she heard Cody stirring a bit. She looked back at the bed to see him slowly sitting up with a frown. "How long do you think that you'll be away?" he mumbled, still mostly asleep.

Chelsea smiled, shaking her head, "just a few hours, baby. The most I'll be doing is stopping for breakfast, then we'll meet you at the gym."

Cody nodded, "I love you, Chels." He rolled over, immediately falling back asleep without waiting for a response from his girlfriend.

Chelsea sighed, looking down for a moment before opening the door and walking out. Cody had told her that he loved her a number of times, but she had yet to say it back. Much like her older sister, Chelsea was afraid to take that step with someone. Deep inside, she knew that she loved Cody, but to actually say it was something that she just seem to bring herself to do. Thankfully, Cody, much like John, was patient and understanding with his girlfriend. Hopefully, it wouldn't take Chelsea five years to admit how she feels, like it had for Mary. No one would have ever expected for John Cena and Cody Runnels to ever bond and become just as close as they had become until the incident that occurred before Night of Champions, just a week earlier. The Williams sisters were hard to love, but in the end, it was well worth it. The entire world knew what had happened to Mary, but Chelsea's life remained a bit of a mystery. She hadn't gone into detail about about what her life had been like after Alex had left home when she was only eight years-old. She now knew that if he could have taken her with him that he would have, but as a sixteen year-old moving in with a friend until he finished high school and went off to begin his wrestling career, he just simply couldn't. Chelsea still cursed herself for all of the years where she felt like her brother and sister had abandoned her. She could still remember the day that she found out the truth, along with the rest of the world. She also would never forget what came after.

_Flashback:_

_April 3rd, 2012 – Atlanta, GA_

_Chelsea had been beside herself ever since the news broke out all over the world just a few days ago. She barely paid attention to wrestling over the years, but when she heard her sister's name in the news, she had to know why. She went online to see the press conference. As she watched everything unfold, her heart had dropped into her stomach. Her father had lied to her. Mary hadn't run away with her boyfriend because their parents didn't want them raising a baby at their age. The truth of what had happened was so much more dark than that. Chelsea watched as Mary went on to tell her story, the camera panning to other WWE SuperStars and Divas, most of them in shock. She hadn't even told the rest of her colleagues what had happened to her before going public._

_After finding out the truth, Chelsea wanted nothing more than to get her family back. She hated her father for lying to her entire life. Her mother was a real piece of work, as well. She never said a word either way when Anthony said all of the horrible things he had about Mary. Chelsea had actually met Daniel a couple of times, and had always gotten a creepy vibe from him. She just didn't know that it was for such a reason. After watching the video, the twenty-one year-old walked up to her parents and asked if they were going to keep lying to her. Anthony just laughed at his daughter, asking if she was really so quick to believe someone who had walked out on her fifteen years ago. In Chelsea's heart, she knew what side she was on. She just needed to find a way to get her family back. She had recently lost her job, and she couldn't exactly walk up to the backstage area at a WWE event. So when she heard that CM Punk was going to be in town a couple of days after her fight with her parents, she made it a point to make sure she would be there for it._

_CM Punk was already growing tired of the non-stop publicity. All he ever wanted to do was wrestle, but he never knew just how annoying all of the attention was going to be. At the same time, he didn't see why he was getting all of this adoration. He had read the headlines. Everyone had already forgotten his WrestleMania match. He was actually certain that more people were talking about the Divas match from that night, than his victory over Chris Jericho. Then there was the match that he hated hearing about six months before it had even happened. "Once In A Lifetime" John Cena and The Rock. It was just proof that talent meant jack in this industry. That match made Phil Brooks wonder why he even bothered coming back to the WWE. He was much happier in Ring of Honor. Had he just followed his gut, he would be back there by now. There was, however, one very specific reason he was happy he had stuck it out. AJ. They hadn't really interacted yet, but they shared a mutual friend. Punk smiled as he went over the memories in his head of Mary, AJ, and Kaitlyn in the backstage area. There was actually one night where he could have sworn that he saw the girls looking at comics and talking video games. So when Mary had come up to him the night before, hinting that he should go for something with her friend, he found himself happy for the first time in a long time._

_He had just signed a ton of autographs in Atlanta. Not exactly his first choice of places to go, but as the WWE Champion, he went where he was told. He had say in career to an extent, but in most instances, CM Punk was just a corporate puppet, and deep inside, he knew it. Just as he was getting ready to leave a girl walked up to him. He groaned inwardly, not really caring to deal with another fan that day. He just wanted to get back to Chicago so he could relax a couple of days before going into the house shows that weekend._

_Chelsea took a deep breath as she walked up to the WWE Champion, noting that he didn't appear to be in the best of moods. "You don't remember me, do you?" she smiled._

_Punk looked at the girl in front of him, studying her features. There was something very familiar about her. He just couldn't quite place her right away. He scratched his beard, "should I remember you from somewhere, kid?"_

_Chelsea couldn't help but giggle, nodding. "You haven't seen me since you were in Ring of Honor. My dad still wrestles there."_

_He blinked, taking a closer look and noticing that she looked an awful lot like the Williams siblings. "Chelsea?"_

_The young girl nodded, her eyes filling with tears. "Look, the last thing I want to do is burden you, but you happen to be the first person from the WWE that I've happened to come across since I found out what happened to my sister. I don't have any money, so I couldn't exactly pay to go to an event. I just want to see my brother and sister."_

"_Well, I obviously can help you with that, and you're in luck, kiddo. I consider you big sister a friend, and I **want** to help you," he smiled, bringing an arm around her shoulders. "I'm going to be leaving here in about an hour. Can you be ready?"_

_She nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm already all packed. I got into a fight with my parents after seeing the press conference."_

Chelsea made the two and a half hour drive from Albany to Queens with her final destination being JFK Airport. She had tried getting to bed early, but Cody was rather persuasive once he got his head between her legs. The work that man did with his tongue was just as impressive as when he did a Disaster Kick off of the Elimination Chamber on Big Show. Chelsea could never say 'no' to her boyfriend once he went there. So there was Chelsea, on the road in New York at five in the morning, barely awake. Thankfully, she had loud, aggressive music on her iPod to keep her amped, so that she could make the drive. She made a mental note to thank Randy for that particular playlist later because it kept her awake. When she got to the airport she parked her car, making her way to the baggage claim. She yawned as she looked to see which carousel she would need to be at, which thankfully was right in front of her. She took a drink of her coffee as she sat on a nearby bench, waiting for the passengers of the red-eye flight from LAX.

Five minutes later, Chelsea looked up with a smile as someone walked up to her. "Well, the good news is, you're starting to look like Alex."

"Well, definitely better him than my father," Marcus grinned as he stepped up to her, hugging her tightly. "Hey Aunt Chelsea. It looks like Uncle Cody kept you up a little late."

Chelsea turned bright red, looking away. "You know I'm going to tell you whether that was the case or not."

The teenager nodded, "I get enough second hand sex when my parents are home."

Chelsea's head jerked up, "you can hear them? Do they know?"

He quickly shook his head, "I either put my headphones on or head to the basement. I'm just glad my mom is finally happy."

"It's just so weird with you being not very much younger than me," his aunt sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, it's like my mom says," he smiled, walking toward the parking lot with her, "we can't change what has happened in the past. We just have to work that much harder to make sure things go better in the future."

She smiled with a nod as they reached the car and unlocked the doors, "can you drive yet?"

"I know how. So long as it's automatic and preferably with GPS," he smiled.

"You know your Uncle Cody. We always have GPS," she tossed him the keys and walked around to the passenger side.

Marcus nodded as he threw his suitcase into the backseat. He got into the driver's seat and adjusted everything to make sure he would be comfortable. He smiled as his aunt put in the address to the hotel where everyone was staying into the GPS, knowing that they would be at the gym by the time they made it back. Marcus started down the road, turning the music down before getting out of the parking lot. Once they got to the hotel, Chelsea walked him to the desk, getting an extra key card for Mary and John's suite for Marcus and made their way to the elevator to get changed for meeting everyone in the gym.

Ten minutes later Chelsea and Marcus walked into the gym where nearly the entire roster was working out. Before Marcus got a chance to find a machine to begin his own workout on, Mary ran over him, giving him a bone crushing hug. The boy grunted, "mom. Mom... oxygen cutting off."

Mary let her son go as the guys walked up, laughing. "Geez babe, just kill your kid before he makes his in ring debut, why don't you," John shook his head.

"You sure you're up for this, kid?" Punk chuckled as Randy, Ted, and Cody hugged Marcus 'hello'.

Marcus nodded, his gaze going over to Celeste, who was using a chest press machine across the room. "Yeah, no big deal, Uncle Punk. I've got it."

Punk smirked, knowing that the teenager was watching a Diva by the look on his face, but couldn't tell which one. "You're actually helping me out. I bit off more than I can chew with bringing him in."

Ted noticed who Marcus was staring at and cleared his throat, "she's spoken for, kid."

"You, Uncle Ted?" Marcus blinked, "I don't think you've dated anyone my entire life."

Ted nodded, "literally, yes. I am now, though."

"Ah, so this be your wee lad, lass?" Stephan walked up to them.

Mary nodded, "he's probably going to be joining us in a few years."

Marcus nodded with a smirk as he shook Stephan's hand, "maybe I'll beat Uncle Randy's record."

Randy scowled as everyone else laughed, "hey!"

"He is _my_ kid, Randy," Mary giggled. "You know he could be the one to do it."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll take after his uncle," Randy mumbled.

Rey walked up to them with a chuckle, "he's already undefeated in his league."

Mary blinked, looking over to her son, "you are?"

Marcus nodded with a blush. "It's no big deal."

"Neither is that shoulder tackle Dominik told me you did a couple of weeks ago," Rey smirked.

"Oi, taking after yer old man, already?" Stephan laughed, patting John's shoulder.

Marcus shrugged, "the guy pissed me off. He tried to pull a 'you can't see me' before the match and said something about my mom that I'd rather not repeat."

"Marcus Elijah, what did I tell you about using our moves at school?" Mary smiled, proud of her son for defending her while still upset at what he did.

"He was just a stupid mark, mom. It's not like I hurt him. Do you really know what it's like being your son at a school where wrestling is popular?" he sighed.

Rey nodded, "Angie and I have considered transferring Dom. They all know who the boys are."

Mary frowned, "maybe we should. The last thing we want is one of our boys getting into a fight over something one of us did in the ring."

"Can we think about it later?" Marcus sighed, "I mean, I'm happy to get out today. Everyone thinks that you hooked up with Ziggler Friday, and there has already been rumors about you and dad. It's just... a mess."

Mary bit her lip, "maybe you should spend the week with us, rather than just a couple of days."'

"I can't, mom. I have wrestling. I can't just walk away from it because of a couple of idiots," Marcus frowned.

Mary nodded, "your dad and I have a couple of days off, so we'll go home with you."

Marcus started to protest, but nodded. "I'm sure that everything will be fine, mom."

Mary reluctantly agreed as everyone dispersed to continue their workouts before having to head to the arena for the show that night.


	29. Chapter 29

September 24th, 2012 – Monday Night RAW

"Marry me, AJ!" Paul Heyman bellowed into a microphone while down on one knee. CM Punk stood a couple of feet behind his manager. He was smirking, but inside he was disgusted. AJ was _his_ girl, but the current storyline prevented them from showing how they felt about one another in any sort of public setting. As AJ stood on in horror, Heyman continued to go on about all of the things they could do together. Just as it appeared as though AJ was about to raise her hand and slap Heyman across the face, Mary and Paige slid into the ring. Mary took out her night stick, hitting Heyman a couple of times hard enough to knock him over. Just as Punk was about to rush over and protect his "friend" Paige grabbed him and hit him with a "Rampaige" (Cradle DDT). With both men laid out in the ring, the three women began to laugh as "Better Off Dead" began to play and they exited the ring together.

As they made their way to the curtain Cole sighed in disgust, "is there anything that can stop these girls?"

JR laughed, "why would anybody want to?"

"_I got these voices in my head,__  
__Strap up that straightjacket on me,__  
__I asked that doctor what he say,__  
__He said, "There ain't enough meds,__  
__Oh boy, you better off dead."_"

As the girls walked backstage toward the locker room area, they were greeted by their friends. Just as John was about to say something, Mary held up her finger to motion for him to wait a moment as the hook of their song began to play. She sang along as AJ tilted her head in time with the beat of the song with a glazed over look in her eyes, "I don't care what people say, I'm anything but crazy, crazy. Talkin' to my shadow, only she knows I'm not crazy, crazy." She grinned, kissing John, then frowned with a sigh as she gently caressed his right elbow. "At least you're a south paw, babe."

"I..." John swallowed visibly, "I'm sure that I'll be fine. They're just making me act like it could end my career for the reaction for it."

Mary nodded, rolling her eyes. Just as she was about to say something Punk walked up to them with Heyman hot on his heels.

"And what pray-tell was that, Phillip? Did you know that your little friends were going to come out there and attack us?" the large man blubbered like a cartoon walrus.

"More like me nearly losing my dignity," Punk chuckled as he placed a soft kiss on AJ's lips. "I needed that."

AJ blushed, nodding, "I should get back to my office." She skipped down the hall to continue her duties as general manager for the night.

"So," Heyman turned to Punk once more. "Do you have an explanation for yourself? Why are you hanging out with John Cena, anyway? I thought that you hated him."

Punk scoffed, shaking his head. "I'm friends with Mary, who just happens to be dating John-boy. We've learned to tolerate each other because of this."

Heyman began sputtering and threw up his arms, looking even more cartoony before giving up and walking off. Everyone laughed as they watched him walk off, growing more and more frustrated with each step.

"Wow," Marcus chuckled. "I think I can see why you want to get rid of him."

Punk nodded with a chuckle, "he was great for getting my career in the WWE started, but now he's just annoying as hell."

"It's like he knows that he's been hanging onto 14:59 for years. His fifteen minutes of fame is almost up," Mary giggled.

"It was as good as over when Stephanie bought out ECW. I think that she just felt bad for him after that. I'm sure she regrets it now." Punk shrugged then turn to John, Mary, and Marcus, "I'll see the happy little family in the ring later. Don't get into too much trouble tonight," he winked with a wave as he headed toward his locker room.

Mary smirked as she shook her head, "friend with me or not, he can only tolerate the rest of you for small periods of time."

John sighed, shaking his head as Randy walked up, clapping. "Okay, I am willing to share the hearing voices in my head thing for that. I really can't wait until all four of you get out there together."

Mary licked her lips, slipping her arms around John's waist, "the WWE Universe isn't ready for what we plan on bringing them."

"That makes it even better," Randy grinned.

"You ready for your big cue tonight, Rands?" Mary smiled as some members of the group looked on in question.

"More than ready. No one messes with my best friends," he winked at John and Mary before disappearing once more.

Paige blinked, looking around, "where did he go?"

Chelsea giggled, nodding. "I'm still getting used to that, myself."

Celeste smiled at the newest member of the group, "he does love us, and is actually very caring. It's just that he's just not the most social."

"Well, until you get a few beers in him," Mary giggled.

"I can't wait to see that." Paige started, but then paused, blinking, "Oh that's right," she frowned, "you have to be twenty-one to drink in the states, don't you?"

Mary nodded with a shrug, "if you want to go out with us and have a few drinks, we can make it happen."

Stephen blinked, "wait... ye aren't twenty-one, lass?"

Paige shook her head with a smirk, "I just turned twenty last month."

Chelsea pumped her fist in the air, "we have a new baby in the group."

Celeste smirked, patting Stephen's shoulder, and leaning over to whisper in his ear, "don't worry, you were only fourteen when she was born."

The other girls giggled, causing John, Cody, and Ted to raise their eyebrows.

"They're doing it again, aren't they?" Ted pouted.

"Seriously, the wavelength you girls share is scary," John laughed.

Cody nodded, "it's only a matter of time before Paige is communicating with them telepathically, as well."

"How else are the New Chickbusters going to be a dominating force in the WWE?" Mary smiled innocently.

"We're officially coat-tailing," Cody hung his head.

"Hell, I think that even _I _will be riding on their coat-tails here eventually," John shrugged.

Just then a stage hand walked up telling Celeste that she needed to get her foot taped up for her promo and that John and Mary needed to get ready for their segment, as well.

Mary sighed, "so ends this meeting." She turned to her son, "do I even need to say it?"

The teen quickly shook his head, "stick to the men's locker room and catering until dad comes to get me and stay out of trouble."

"And they say that we're bad parents for being on the road all of the time," Mary smirked as she walked off with John.

"You are anything but a bad parent, Mary," John chuckled. "I just hope that I'm doing half as good."

Mary smiled, giving him a squeeze, "just wait until he starts acting up. You get to start punishing him."

John blinked, "I get to do what?"

"You're the one who happily jumped into this, baby. Plus, it will give you practice for when we have more kids," she kissed his cheek.

He nodded as they sat on an equipment box, a camera coming up to them. "I would like to have kids of my own someday."

"And we will," she nodded as they were signaled that the segment was about to start.

John took a deep breath, looking to her as he took her hand. "Are you sure you want to try this so soon after ending things with Cody?"

Mary nodded, biting her lip. "I'm sure, John. We should have gotten together years ago. I just..." she looked down.

"What is it Mary?" he frowned.

"How can I know that you're _all_ mine? I mean... after what happened last time. Can I trust you?" she slowly looked up, her eyes full of pain.

"You know about that?" John's face fell as he swallowed visibly.

"I do, but it was years ago," she leaned in kissing him passionately as the camera panned over to show Dolph Ziggler walking up to them with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. He hung his head with a sigh before turning around a walking away. Once the cameraman walked away, she bit her lip, lacing her fingers with his. "So um... about that ad-lib..."

"I didn't know that you knew, Mary. I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry," he sighed.

She shook her head, "like I said, it was years ago. I love you, John. I know that you made a mistake and you're all mine now."

He nodded, "I am. I was so stupid to do that. I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"Maybe not, but you have it," Mary kissed him softly. "Let's just leave our behinds in the past," she smirked.

"I've seen The Lion King too, you know," he chuckled.

…

With twenty minutes left in the program, John went off in search of Marcus as Mary made her way to the stands. Once he saw the teenager, he took a deep breath, biting his lip.

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest, not caring if anyone was around. "You may as tell me what you did, dad. I'm going to find out eventually."

John nodded with a sigh, "I cheated on your mother the first time we tried dating. All I can really say is that I did the stupid man thing."

Marcus slowly nodded, "mom wasn't giving you any, so you found a girl who would?"

"Well, if you want to get extra blunt about it," John tugged on his collar.

"Have you met my mom, John? I mean, I know that you're sleeping with her, but do you really know her?" the teen stared at his father figure point blank.

John sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. He would never admit it, but he knew that Marcus's words were true, and it stung like hell to hear them. "As much as she'll let me. I can tell that she still hasn't fully let me in, and it kills me. I really love her."

"How official would you like to make all of this?" the teen smiled.

"I want to marry your mom. I told her less than a week ago that I didn't think that I was ready for it again yet, but..." he took a deep breath, "but I would at least like to make the commitment to her."

"And what about us, dad? Would you want to make this legal?" Marcus leaned against the wall.

"Y-you want me to adopt you?" John swallowed visibly.

Just as Marcus was about to respond, he heard a girl sniffle merely feet away from them. He looked up to see Ted and Celeste listening to them. "Hey Aunt Celeste. Hey Uncle Ted."

"Sorry, we just happened to be walking by," Celeste quickly explained.

Marcus laughed, "it's okay, guys." He turned to John, "and yes, I want you to be legally my dad. We might as well, you know."

John smiled, nodding as a stagehand walked up, telling them that they needed to make their way to the gorilla position. The father/son duo made their way to the curtain together, their outfits matching. The only difference being that Marcus wore baggy jeans and only one wristband, with John's old "Chain Gang" medallion necklace. As "My Time is Now" filled the arena, they walked down the ramp together. When they got into the ring only John took a microphone, Marcus not intending on saying much, if at all.

Once the music finished, John chuckled, motioning to his sling. "Yes, I know. This is not how I planned on spending my week." He smiled, shaking his head as he listened to the mixed reaction from the crowd. "I've got to admit, I really like this. Some of you like me. Some of you hate me. In the end, you all feel _something_ for me." He paused as there were more cheers and boos, nodding. He then turned to Marcus, "I've been getting this for years. You'd think my feelings would change. But hey, my name isn't Big Show," he shrugged. "Oh and yes, as you may have noticed, I'm not alone in the ring tonight. I am joined by the son of my new girlfriend. Marcus Williams, everybody!" He paused, waiting for the reaction Marcus received, "I know what I'm up against right now, and being that I'm not one hundred percent, he insisted on joining me tonight. He may only be doing collegiate wrestling in high school right now, but hey..." he paused, smirking, "I hear that Cody Rhodes was good at that, as well."

Marcus stepped up to John, leaning into the microphone, "but he never went undefeated, John."

John laughed, nodding. "This is very true. Marcus here is well on his way to becoming California state champ." He smiled as Marcus earned a chorus of cheers. "Unfortunately, I'm not here to joke around tonight. It's just that I wouldn't be me if I didn't. I am here tonight to thank everyone and I want to let everyone know that because of this injury, my future is in question. The doctors aren't sure how bad it is yet, nor do they know when or if I'll be back. It sucks, but these things happen."

"You sure you want to do this?" Marcus could be barely heard on camera, but it was meant to only be heard by John.

John nodded, his serious look and tone taking over, "I'm also here tonight to apologize on the behalf of CM Punk. The job of a WWE official is not an easy one. I just don't believe that the integrity of all of the officials should be being questioned right now, especially by someone like well... CM Punk. I think that we can all understand that sometimes when you're new at something, that you don't always perform as well as someone who has been doing the same thing for much longer. Brad Maddox has not been doing this for very long. He's a rookie ref who made a rookie mistake." He paused, waiting for the crowds reaction to die down.

Marcus leaned in to the microphone once more, "say what you want, you all know that it's true. It's not like it was a title shot and Punk was screwed, or anything like that."

"That is a very good point, son," John chuckled. "This kid is definitely his mother's son. Highly intelligent, with their own brand of logic. I love it!" He took a deep breath before continuing, "now I am sure that I'm not the only one who is sick of CM Punk's behavior these past few months. I just wish that there was a way someone could get him to shut his mu-"

"John..." the teen in the ring held back a smirk.

"Sorry," John shook his head. "Ever since Night of Champions Punk has been acting like a completely different person. He took my words and twisted them. I never said that if he was still WWE Champion after that match that I would admit that he is the best in the world. What I said was that if he went into TD Garden champion and walked out still champion, that it would be a moment that defines who he is." He paused, shaking his head, "and has he ever. He has not stopped running his mouth. Now he's just..." He started to say something, shaking his head.

"John!" Marcus laughed, almost reading the man's mind.

"CM Punk has turned into a monkey franking, ship sinking, son of a bee sting. That better get his gall darn, crap happy doggy bath straightened away before I chin check it!" He paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I tried to make that as PG as I possibly could, I hope that it was all right." He looked over to Marcus, who was leaning against the ropes, laughing. "Oh, you liked that?"

"He needed to hear that," Marcus nodded.

"I really needed to get that out," John smiled. "Now I'm not here to talk trash. No matter how fun it is. I can do that at any time. I am here because, like I said, my future is in question. I don't know when I'll be medically cleared, but I am guaranteeing that I will be at Hell in a Cell to fight!"

As he was about to continue, "Cult of Personality" began to play. CM Punk strutted down the ring with Paul Heyman. John and Marcus remained silent as the other two men entered the ring. Punk grabbed a microphone of his own. "Oh isn't that cute? You just get his mom to be your girlfriend, and you're already weaseling your way in to be his dad? You'd like that, wouldn't you? If Marcus here called you 'dad'. You can be a happy little family, with your white picket fence. A nice little dream life. That's what you really want. Your first marriage was an epic failure, so now you're trying to have something with someone who I happen to call a friend. However, when it comes to romantic relationships, Mary Williams is a train wreck. I mean," he paused, chuckling, "Cody Rhodes was only her most recent failure. She's already been through the other members of that lovely group we once knew as Legacy. Spoiler alert, things didn't go so well with Orton or DiBiase, either."

John held out his good arm, holding Marcus back after the disparaging remark had been made about his mother. "Are you really going to talk like this about her with her son right here? Come on man, show some respect!"

"Respect? You're going to talk to _me_ about respect?" Punk glanced to Heyman before shaking his head. "You know what, John-boy? I will _not_ face you at Hell in a Cell. It's not because I'm afraid, or anything like that. I just don't feel like you deserve yet another title shot. You got your chance. I am sure that there are plenty of guys in the back who would love to get a shot against me. It's not fair that you keep getting all of the opportunities. It's getting old, John. You won't be able to face me at Hell in a Cell, anyway. And it's because you won't be medically cleared. This is not about the fact that your arm is currently in a sling. It's not about the things that I _have_ done to you. It's about what I am _going_ to do to you. You think that the past eight days have been bad? What I'm about to do to you will have you laid up for the next eight _months_." He got right up in John's face, "so I am going to give you some advice, John Cena. Run. I know that you are down to one arm, but both of your legs work. I am going to give you until the count of five to run away. You better take that kid with you, because I'm not above taking him out as well," Punk and Heyman turned their backs to John with smirks on their faces. "Five..."

Marcus turned to John with a grin, pulling a lead pipe out of his pocket, passing it over to the man he called 'dad' and fist bumped him before flashing the Chain Gang medallion at the camera and slipping out of the ring.

"Four..." Punk continued, pretending to assume that he had just heard John climb out of the ring.

"Did Marcus just give John a lead pipe?" Cole asked.

"Yes, that's exactly what he did," JR confirmed.

"Three..." Punk grinned, glancing at Heyman.

Mary began making her way through the crowd, getting caught on camera, but staying out of the visual range of Punk and Heyman. A devious grin played across her face as she motioned for the crowd to stay quiet for her surprise attack.

"Oh, things are about to get really interesting," JR grinned.

"Two..." Punk took a deep breath, preparing to take the hit that he knew he was about to get.

John grinned, raising up the lead pipe up, tapping his head to indicate that he knew what he was doing. He was using his head, knowing that he would need a little help seeing as how, in character, CM Punk wouldn't hold back from hurting an already injured man. This was also why Marcus left the ring. His age wouldn't deter the WWE Champion. He glanced up at his girlfriend, giving her a wink as he readied himself for what was about to come.

"One!" Punk spun around, only to get the lead pipe in his gut.

Heyman quickly rolled out of the ring in front of the announce table, only to be surrounded by Mary and Marcus. Not having Punk there to help him, Heyman was taken out by the mother/son duo. He received a vicious beating as Punk backed up the ramp as the crowd erupted in cheers.

"Now that's what I call a pipe bomb!" John laughed into the microphone as "Chain Gang is the Click" began to play.

Once they felt that Heyman had suffered enough, Mary and Marcus joined John in the ring once more. Mary walked over to him with a grin, placing her hands on his chest. She smiled as she got up on her toes to kiss him.

"What the heck just happened here?" JR blinked.

"Who knows, JR?" Cole was just as confused.

The camera then went to Punk making his way down the hall, gasping for air as he passed by Mick Foley. He then turned, "you know Mick..." he started, but before he could continue, he was pushed into the wall by Randy. Punk turned to see his attacker, "you?"

"You've messed with the wrong family, Punk!" Randy bellowed before the show went off the air.

Once the cameras left, Mick blinked, "what just happened?"

Punk laughed, shaking hands with Randy, "we just took things into our own hands." He walked to the locker room area with Randy to greet the rest of the group before getting ready to go. He high-fived Mary and shook John's hand once they joined everyone.

"Now _that_ is how we get things done on Monday Night RAW!" John laughed, only to be cut short by Stephanie walking up to them. "Steph..." he swallowed visibly.

Stephanie shook her head, looking as stern as she possibly could, "I have to admit. We always expect the unexpected, but this was just..." she shook her head a smile creeping across her face. "Probably the most spectacular ass raping of kayfabe we have ever seen."

Mary looked to her friend with desperate eyes, "Stephanie, I..." She then tilted her head, blinking, "wait... did you just just say _spectacular_ ass raping?"

The Executive Vice President in charge of creative nodded, "I assume that you were all in on this, and it's not like we can punish all of our top stars at once." She turned to Punk with a smirk, "does this mean that you are done with Heyman?"

Punk nodded, "I should have never brought him back. I just figured he should have a deserving send off."

Stephanie nodded with a grin, "well, he's gone from the company and you all get the privilege of continuing these storylines. I'll see everyone next week." She smiled as she walked off.

Mary let out a sigh of relief, "that was so amazing!"

"I can't believe you got away with that shit," Cody shook his head.

"What all wasn't exactly supposed to happen?" Chelsea looked on, slightly concerned.

Mary smirked, licking her lips. "Let's see... Marcus wasn't supposed to be involved with that, John wasn't supposed to use a foreign object, we weren't supposed to attack Heyman, and that wasn't supposed to be Randy threatening Punk at the close of the show. Not to mention, we weren't exactly supposed to change which one of John's songs played after we finished our attack. We're lucky we still have our jobs."

AJ skipped up to them, "the crowd loved it. Of course we got away with it."

Punk grinned, bringing an arm around his girlfriend, "so we're going out to celebrate? I assume I get to be designated driver."

"Marcus is coming," Mary shrugged. "I'm not letting him drink." She looked around to each of her friends, "I'm holding you all to that."

Everyone nodded, agreeing to not give Marcus alcohol when they went to the club to celebrate that night. They were all on a high, and they didn't know how long it was going to last. So they were going to make the best of it while they could.

* * *

**Obviously that's not quite how the promo went. I paraphrased and made it my own. It fits with where the story is going. And yeah, I'm taking Ryback out of the equation. I will admit that he has potential, but putting Randy in really fits my story.**

**Also, I would like to take this opportunity to ask you to check out my other story with Mary in it. It's called "How Did We Get Here?" and it's a co-write with shiki94. It also stars her OC Alex Hardy. It's having a slow start so far, but we're about to delve into the main plot. We promise that it will be worth a read.**


	30. Chapter 30

October 16th, 2012 – Main Event and SmackDown tapings.

Over the two weeks following the group deciding to take things into their own hands, there had been a lot of trash talk between Mary and Cody on camera. Leading up to Cody stating that her win over him after Night of Champions was a fluke, and that he was taking it easy on her because she was a girl. That is what set Mary off to change things up once again. The week before on Main Event, Kofi Kingston challenged The Miz to a match for the Intercontinental Championship. Remembering this, Mary knew what she had to do for the next step in her feud with Cody.

As everyone was getting ready for the show, Mary found Kofi backstage. "Hey, Kofi. Can we talk a minute?"

Kofi looked up at her with a grin, "well if it isn't the future Mrs. Cena."

She sighed, shrugging. "We'll see."

"What's up, girl?" his face faltered a bit as he saw her reaction.

"I'm sure that you saw what went down between Cody and I on RAW last night," she bit her lip.

He nodded, studying the body language of the girl standing before him. "You want me to give you my title shot?"

"You can say 'no'. I'll understand. I know what I'm up against. I'll only be the second woman to go for this title ever," she leaned against the wall.

Kofi shook his head with a grin, "no, you deserve this, Mary. I know that you can do it. You're right, too. For storyline purposes, you taking the title that Cody still believes should be his is perfect."

Mary squealed, stepping over to Kofi and hugging him tightly. "I promise that after the storyline runs it's course, you'll be my first number one contender."

He returned the hug with a chuckle, "I look forward to it, girl."

…

A couple of hours later, Miz was in the ring, waiting for his challenger. Kofi's music hit, but instead of doing his normal entrance, he stood at the top of the entrance ramp with a microphone. "Now Miz, I know that you have yourself prepared for me." He paused, looking around at the audience, "and I know that everyone has been waiting all week for this match up."

Miz got a microphone of his own, looking up at the stage to look at Kofi. "Are you backing out on me, Kofi? I knew you were too much of a chicken to actually challenge me for my Intercontinental Championship."

Kofi shook his head with a grin, "I am backing out, but it's not because I don't think that I can take you, Miz. It's just that I have found someone who wants that belt just a _leeetle_ more than I do."

"Who is it?" Miz did his signature version of "gimme" hands.

"So you are willing to defend the title against this _person_ right now?" Kofi smirked.

"Whoever it is, bring it on! Let's go!" Miz dropped his microphone, pulling his shirt off.

"Okay Miz, it's your grave," Kofi chuckled as the Super Mario Brothers theme played.

Miz's eyes widened in the ring as he realized who his new challenger was. He quickly shook his head. "No! Her?! No! Are you kidding me?!"

Mary walked out onto the stage, shaking hands with Kofi as "I'm So Sick" began to play. She pointed at Miz, glaring intimidatingly before running down to the ring and sliding in, skipping her normal entrance.

The camera panned away as the ref signaled for the bell to ring. "Mary, why are you doing this?" Miz asked only loud enough for Mary to hear.

Mary sighed as they locked up in the center of the ring. "You know why, Mike. Just go with it, please?" Miz reluctantly agreed as Mary got the upper hand to start off the match. She hit him with an uppercut in the jaw before planting him on the mat with a DDT. She looked down at him with a glazed look in her eyes, tilting her head as a camera closed in on her. As he slowly got up, he saw the look on her face and he slowly backed up, fear in his eyes. She let out a frustrated, primal scream before running over to him, clothes-lining him against the turnbuckle. She looked into a camera that was right in her face, "still think it was just a fluke, Cody?" The match continued on for another ten minutes. Miz gave it his all, but in the end she was too much for him. Mary countered the "Skull Crushing Finale" and surprised him with a "Best Regards". After the three count, Mary jumped to her feet, laughing maniacally as she was handed the title and her hand was raised. As her music played once more she cradled the belt like as if it were an infant. This being the first time she held it since she used it as a weapon against Cody before WrestleMania six months earlier. After Miz rolled out of the ring and made his way up the entrance ramp, defeated Mary grabbed a microphone and stood in the center of the ring. "Hey Cody, you still want this?" she motioned to the title that was now officially hers. "Come and get it," she sneered directly into the camera.

As the show came to a close, Miz was being interviewed in the locker room. Mary watched on a monitor, sighing as she saw that he was nearly in tears over having just lost the Intercontinental title. She shook her head as she made her way to the locker room waiting for him to finish. "Mike..." She turned to the cameraman and glared, "go!"

He sighed heavily as they were left alone in the room, "what do you want, Mary? You just beat me clean. What more can you possibly say?"

Mary frowned, "c'mon Mike. You know what this was. I didn't know I could actually beat you." She sat down.

"Well you did," he looked over to her, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. "I didn't want to believe you were really that good."

"I have been doing this a little longer than you," she smiled. "I started training when I was twelve. I only took a year off when I had Marcus."

"Damn, that's a long time," he chuckled.

She nodded with a smile, "yeah, I even have John beat there." She took a deep breath, "you know, Mike. I used to have the biggest crush on you."

He turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah? When?"

"When you were on the Real World. I thought you were hot from the first time I saw you. Then when you brought out 'The Miz' I fell," she smiled, licking her lips.

"And you never said anything?" he frowned, knowing what he had possibly missed out on.

She shrugged, "when we met I was seeing John. Things didn't go well at all with him that time around. After that, I just didn't want to put myself out there. By the time I was ready, I believe that you were already serious with Maryse."

He nodded, "so fate saw fit that we were never supposed to happen. Sucks, but you can't argue with fate."

"Like me being meant to beat you tonight?" she teased.

"You are a hell of a fighter, Mary," he shook his head. "I would have never guessed by looking at you."

She looked to him with a sigh, seeing that his eyes were still glistening with tears. "I'm sorry, Mike. I really am. I know how much having this title meant to you." She brought a comforting hand to his shoulder.

He swallowed visibly, "you deserve it, Mary. With or without that silly feud with Cody." A few tears fell down his cheeks.

She frowned, wrapping an arm around him. "Hey... it's not like you'll never get a title again. You've still got a lot of good years ahead of you. You're still a Triple Crown champion. Not even John can say that," she grinned.

He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist, suddenly very glad that they were alone. He pressed his face against her shoulder for a minute, taking a deep breath to compose himself. He pulled away, looking up at her. "Look, I know that one of your reasons for getting the title was so that Cody could challenge you, and you can prove something to him. However, if I don't challenge you to a rematch right away, it would appear out of character."

She tilted her head with a smirk, "what are you saying, Mikey?"

"I want my rematch at Hell In A Cell, but I'm willing to _let_ you win so you get your chance to face Cody with the title on the line. I just want to get another chance later on," he grinned at her.

"Done," she returned the grin, hugging him. "Did we just become friends?"

"It was bound to happen," he chuckled as he returned the hug and pulled away.

She bit her lip, looking down for a moment. "Mike... there's something that I need to tell you if that's the case."

He tilted his head, studying the look on her face with concern. "What is it, Mary?"

She took a deep breath, "I'm being stalked. We assume that it's someone with the company."

His eyes widened in shock, "what the hell? Are you serious?"

She nodded, swallowing hard. "Someone has been sending John pictures of me hanging out with the other guys for months. Just simple and innocent things, twisted to look like..." her eyes filled with tears as she attempted to finish her sentence.

"My God," he gasped, hugging her tightly. "Well, I could never think of you like that. I know what kind of girl you are. You're a mid-West tomboy. You're one of the guys. There's nothing wrong with that."

She sighed, "to be on the safe side, you should probably tell Maryse about this."

He shook his head in disgust, "I really hope you can get to the bottom of this soon."

"We actually have a plan to bring this sick fucker out in the works," she smirked.

…

Later on, during the taping for SmackDown for the week, Mary walked up to Ted backstage with her new title on her shoulder. She had a devious smile on her face. "Hey Teddy Bear."

Ted turned to Mary and his eyes widened, "oh my god, Mare Bear! Did you really win that?"

She nodded with a grin, "I beat Miz on Main Event."

"That's amazing," he hugged her tightly. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," she smiled as she returned the hug. "You wanna be next?"

He raised an eyebrow, "what are you talking about?"

She motioned to the camera approaching them, "segment time." She took a deep breath, walking up to Ted once more, making it look like she was just now greeting him. "Hey Ted."

He smiled at her, "hey Mary." He motioned to the Intercontinental title on her arm. "I gotta admit, that looks good on you. Too bad, that will probably never be me."

"I wouldn't say that," Mary tilted her head. "You're about to go up against Cesaro, right?"

He nodded, "yeah, why?"

She smiled, "I've been paying attention to his matches lately. There is one thing that just about everyone is doing that always gets him the upper hand."

"And that is," he looked to her in question.

"Whatever you do, do _not_ go high risk. I know that he always sets it up where you think that it's the best plan, but he _always_ catches his opponent with a European uppercut when they do. Just don't let him catch you off-guard and give it everything that I know that you have. Beat him tonight, and a title shot is as good as yours. We can prove to the WWE Universe once and for all that we don't need Cody to get something," she grinned, leaning in to kiss his cheek before walking away.

He gently rubbed his cheek where she had just kissed it, deep in thoughts as he walked off toward the gorilla position for his match. He took her advice and beat Antonio Cesaro that night, earning himself a future title shot. Later in the night, as everyone began to leave the locker rooms to leave Ted walked up to Mary with a huge grin on his face. "I can't believe you were right. It's just that I wasn't supposed to win that match. What about..."

Mary brought a finger to his lips, shaking her head. "You forget who is pulling the strings here. Stephanie loves what I'm doing and is letting me get away with everything. I just have to figure out my limits with all of this fun and make sure to not cross the line."

Ted nodded, "well thanks, Mare Bear. This really means a lot to me. I was really beginning to feel like they were starting to phase me out. If it weren't for you, I would be as good as done."

"And I just simply can't have that," Mary grinned as Celeste walked up to them and wrapped her arms around Ted's waist. "You're going to be here at least as long as I am. I plan to personally make damn sure of that."

"I think I like being friends with you, Mary," Celeste giggled.

"You might be next," Mary smirked. "I would love to see someone knock Eve off of that pedestal. Well, in the ring, anyway."

Celeste nodded with a smile, "she's actually a sweetheart, but kayfabe is kayfabe."

Mary nodded as Randy and Cody walked up to them. "Everybody ready to go? I miss my man."

Everyone nodded, going out to the minivan that they took to the arena together and rode to the hotel. After saying goodnight to everyone, Mary slipped her keycard into the door to the suite that she and John were sharing. She took a deep breath, noticing that he was already in bed. "_Really?_" she giggled, mocking her new friend.

"So we're Mizary now?" John chuckled, getting up and walking over to her, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Well..." she set her bag down and opened it. She reached in and pulled out the Intercontinental title.

John's eyes went wide, "I assume he's not just letting you hold it for the night."

She shook her head with a grin, "I beat him on Main Event. It felt so good."

"I didn't expect you to take your feud with Cody this far. Yet at the same time, I guess that I should have," he sighed.

"Babe... we've been over this," Mary frowned, setting her title down.

He nodded, "I know, Mary. I love you and I trust you. You know what you're doing, and I'm not about to step in your way."

She smiled, "I love you too, John. And oh, Ted may be getting a shot at the US belt now."

He blinked, "did you fuck kayfabe again?"

She bit her lip, nodding. "I promise that I won't be making a habit out of it. I just had to give him a push, because I knew that they wouldn't be."

"I had a feeling that he was as good as on his way out," he took a deep breath, nodding as he patted the pocket of his shorts.

"I need him around, John. I know that you don't like it, but after what happened to me..." she swallowed hard, tears filling her eyes.

…

Ten minutes later, Chelsea gently pushed Cody away as he was kissing her neck. She picked up her phone and check the message that her sister had just sent her. Her eyes went wide, "holy shit, John just proposed!"

THE END... for now ;)

* * *

**Yes, I'm ending it there. Mary got her happy ending. However, this is not the end of the story by far. I have already started the sequel and will begin posting it very soon. All answers will be revealed in that!**


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